


Darkness and Light

by MonPetitTresor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Apocalypse, Claiming, Depression, Did I mention angst, Don't worry, Fluff and Angst, Gabriel (Supernatural) is Loki, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pagan Gods, Possessive Gabriel, Possessive Loki, Protective Gabriel, Shy Sam, but not bad!, slightly darker Gabriel, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:50:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After everything at Elysian Fields, the boys head out to try and regroup and figure out their next move. Only, when they arrive in their motel room, they find someone there waiting for them that they hadn’t expected. And they quickly learn that not everything is at it seems.</p><p>Gabriel died facing off against Lucifer… but Loki did not. And Loki doesn’t take lightly to finding out that the one that’s supposed to be his – even if Sam doesn’t know it – is still in danger. He’ll protect his human no matter what anyone has to say about that. Even if it means sticking to Sam’s side like glue.</p><p>The Apocalypse is still looming over them and they need to come with a solution, quickly. Things would be a whole lot easier, though, if the snarky pagan god riding around in the backseat seemed at all willing to find the pieces of his grace he insists are out there and piece them back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Driving away and leaving Gabriel facing off against his brother – _alone_ – was one of the hardest things that Sam had ever done. There was a huge part of him that was screaming inside, demanding to go back there, to do anything possible to help the archangel who was giving up everything to let them get away. The only thing that kept Sam in the car and not racing back there was the fact that Gabriel had done this so that they could escape. If Sam went back, he'd be negating everything that Gabriel was trying to do here. He'd be handing himself over to the one being in all of Creation that they were fighting to keep Sam away from. There was no way Sam could diminish Gabriel's efforts. He couldn't make his sacrifice meaningless.

So Sam held in the ache that he felt inside and he rode quietly in the Impala as Dean took them further and further away.

Not even Kali vanishing out of the backseat was enough to stir Sam out of his silence. He kept quiet and still and stared blankly out at the passing scenery while Dean drove them further and further away. Nothing of what he felt was showing on the outside. That was a skill that he'd really learned to perfect ever since he'd started this whole mess. Nothing good came from letting anyone see what he was actually feeling.

What he couldn’t quite explain was _why_ he was feeling as badly as he was. The Trickster – _Gabriel, his name was Gabriel_ – had been a star in quite a few of Sam's nightmares a while ago. He'd played with them, taunted them, trapped them in TV Land and tried to force them to say Yes. He'd killed Dean over and over to try and teach Sam a lesson that, really, the younger Winchester had already known – it just hadn't mattered. There'd been no way that Sam could let go of Dean. It just wasn't in Sam to let his brother die for him.

Looking back, Sam could see what he'd been aiming for, how he'd been trying to stop all of this even back then. He'd been trying to help. When that hadn't worked, he'd tried to force the only other solution he could see, which was to have them say Yes and get it all over with.

But in the end he'd come through for them in a way they hadn't expected. And Sam held no illusions that the archangel would survive this.

The idea of that had his heart aching and the guilt he already carried around growing even stronger. Sure, sometimes he'd hated Gabriel, but sometimes... sometimes he'd thought that he might actually like him, if he'd just been given the chance. If they had been given the chance. Sam had been willing to put all of their past troubles aside if it meant having Gabriel work with them. He'd wanted so badly to convince the once trickster to be on their side. Now it was too late.

Closing his eyes, Sam leaned his head to the side just enough that his temple rested against the cold glass. It perfectly matched the chill that had sunk through every inch of him. If not even another archangel could survive this, what hope did they have?

* * *

Watching the DVD that Gabriel had given to Dean was hard. To see that smirking face, minus the usual laughter that sat in his eyes, had been like a fist to Sam's gut.

Gabriel had made this before coming to them. He'd made this up with all the information they needed to try and stop the apocalypse. To Dean, it was sort of a godsend – though he wouldn't use those exact words, especially not now. For Sam, it was hope, and it was heartache. It made him hurt to realize that Gabriel had gone in there knowing that he was going to die. He'd known that he was giving up his life just to let them get away.

The heavy feel of Dean’s hand settling on his shoulder drew Sam out of the thoughts he hadn’t even realized he’d gotten lost in. There was a brief moment in which the brothers locked gazes and countless words passed between them without either one ever having to speak. It was how they’d communicated so many times in their life; it was also something they hadn’t done in so long. Sam couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this silent offer of comfort from his big brother. For so long now Dean had been angry with him, with the world, with pretty much everything, and any chance of them connecting always fell through. Not that Sam could really blame him.

The peace only lasted a moment. Then Dean gave a final squeeze and dropped his hand down, and they were back to business as usual.

“We’ve got a plan. I say we head to a motel for the night, get some sleep, and then head over to Bobby's and see what we can find.”

It was the logical thing to do. Sam nodded his head. He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. “Yeah.” The single word came out a bit more hoarse than normal, but in true Winchester fashion, Dean didn't comment on it.

The two quietly made their way back to the front of the Impala and they slid back into their seats. There was a bit of daylight left and still hours and hours yet between them and Bobby. Sam settled in to his seat, ignoring the sounds of Metallica as his brother turned the music on, and he let his thoughts drift while they headed away.

Despite his best efforts to think only about the rings and about their newfound plan, little thoughts about Gabriel kept slipping in, memories and smiles and things that had passed between them. Sam shook his head and tried to push those thoughts away. The time to grieve for Gabriel could come later. Right now he had something important in front of him and he needed to focus on it. The whole apocalypse mess was Sam's fault and he had to figure out the best way to be able to stop it, with minimal losses. They'd lost too many already. He didn't want to add more names to the list.

Softly, in the back of his mind, that list of those they had lost seemed to run on repeat, never leaving him alone. Each name on there was someone who had died because of him. Someone whose death he was responsible for, whether directly or indirectly. Sam made a point to learn all of their names and to remember them. Even the people he'd never met, the ones taken out by a Horseman or even by the angels. Sam always made sure to learn their names and remember them. None of them would be dead if Sam hadn't started all this. Their deaths were on him and he would honor their memory. He wouldn't let himself forget what he'd caused.

* * *

By the time they arrived at the motel, both Winchesters were more than ready for sleep. They gathered up their things out of the trunk of the Impala and made their way first to the office to check in, and then down the long row to the room on the end, a rare luxury for them. They liked to get the room at the end because it was easier to defend and was less likely to have trouble with other people if actual trouble came to find them.

Sam was yawning as he stood behind Dean and waited for his brother to open the door. Screw going in and getting a shower. He was more than ready to just drop into bed as-is and attempt to get some sleep, though he doubted he'd get much. Sleep wasn't easy to come by these days.

What he hadn't expected was for Dean to start cursing the instant he opened the door. His brother dropped his bags and was reaching for a weapon. Sam reacted instinctively, letting his own bags fall and pulling his gun from the inside pocket of his jacket. As soon as he had it in hand, he took a step forward, moving up to stand just slightly to the side of Dean, weapon trained in the room and his eyes searching the threat.

It didn't take him long to find what had caused Dean to react that way. At the same time that Sam's eyes landed on the bed furthest from the door, he heard a familiar low laugh that he hadn't thought he'd ever get the chance to hear again. Sam's eyes widened as he took in the figure that was lounging on his bed with legs stretched out and hands folded behind his head. Mischievous golden eyes were crinkled at the edges with the grin that Gabriel wore. “Hey there, boys. Miss me?”

Sam couldn't help his reaction. Though Dean was still on alert, the younger Winchester lowered his gun. “Gabriel?”

He couldn’t believe it. Sam's eyes ran over him, drinking in every single inch of him. Gabriel was lying there in a pose that was completely casual and relaxed. His legs were stretched out over the bed and crossed at the ankle and he had a mound of pillows behind him to prop him up so that his head could easily rest against the wall just above the top of the short headboard. There was something about him... something that didn't seem quite right. Sam wasn't sure what it was, though. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Gabriel looked almost exactly the same. He was dressed in jeans and a dark green shirt. His usual jacket was nowhere in sight, but that wasn’t that vast of a change. His hair wasn't slicked back, either. It hung loose and sort of messy around his head in a way that made him look just a bit… wild. Untamed. But those were just little things. They didn't explain this strange, not-quite-right feeling that Sam had inside of him.

It didn't seem possible, but Gabriel’s grin grew a little wider. He ignored Dean completely and fixed his eyes right on Sam. “In the flesh. Well, so to speak.” He tipped a wink at Sam, who found himself blushing, though he couldn’t quite explain why.

Dean cut into their conversation with a low growl. “I'm not buying it.” His weight shifted and he took a step into the room, putting himself in a stance that Sam recognized quite easily. It was one that not only said that Dean was ready for trouble, and that he didn't trust the being he had in his sights _at all_ , it was also one that firmly kept Sam behind him in the position that the younger Winchester had once always been at. A position where Dean was free to be able to protect him on matter what.

This time Gabriel's laugh was just a bit huskier, with an edge to it that had Sam shivering. “Aren't you the feisty one?” Gabriel's eyes ran slowly over Dean, down his body and then back up to his face. When they locked eyes again, Gabriel was all mocking smirks and blatant amusement. “Calm down there, big boy. Why don't we at least get everyone inside and the door shut before you get your panties twisted up?”

That brought home the realization that they were still standing mostly in the open doorway and anyone who walked past would be able to see the two holding their guns. That was really the last thing they needed.

Dean wasn't willing to lower his gun to even grab one of the bags, but Sam had no such qualms. Even as he was still trying to figure out what it was that was so different about Gabriel, there was a part of him that seemed to instinctively trust this being in front of him, which really should've been a great big red flag. Sam trusting someone was practically a perfect indicator to just how evil they were. He had a horrible sense of judgement on who was safe to trust and who wasn't.

As he bent to pick up the bags and carry them into the room, he heard a snort coming from his bed. He looked up while kicking the door shut behind him and found that Gabriel was once more looking right at him. “Quit being so hard on yourself, kiddo. You're not the only idiot out there to trust the wrong person. Granted, yours was a bigger fuck-up than most, but…meh.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll deal with it.”

Dean went perfectly still at that and Sam just stared for one long second. Then realization kicked in and his eyes went wide. _Gabriel was reading his mind_. “Stay out of my head.”

Gabriel actually had the audacity to snort and roll his eyes. “Good luck with that one. If I did that, I’d never know anything. You Winchesters really take repression to a whole new level, did you know that?”

There was something just a hint sharper to Gabriel’s words here that Sam associated more with the being who had tortured him at the Mystery Spot. This wasn’t the open and exposed one that they’d found in that warehouse, or the scared yet determined one they’d seen just recently at Elysian Fields. This was the trickster there in front of him and it left Sam feeling off balance.

Beside him, he felt Dean bristling and he saw as his brother adjusted his gun. “How do we know you’re actually you? Last we knew, you were facing off against Lucifer, and I get the feeling no one just walks away from that.”

“Ten points to Gryffindor.” Gabriel said dryly. Then he smirked. “What can I say, boys?” Pulling one hand out from behind his head, he blew on his nails and pretended to buff them on his shirt. “I’m just that awesome.”

The words pissed Dean off, as they were probably intended to do – these two couldn’t seem to be around one another without getting pissed in some way – but they set off something in Sam that had him tensing even more. That sensation of _different_ that he felt was only getting stronger. There was something wrong with Gabriel. Something not quite right. This… this wasn’t Gabriel. Setting down the bags beside the bed that would be Dean’s, the younger Winchester started to reach once more for his gun, his eyes never leaving Gabriel’s face. “I think there’s more to it than that. You’re not Gabriel.”

Instantly Dean tensed even more, which Sam hadn’t thought possible.

In a completely opposite reaction, Gabriel relaxed. In fact, he was looking at Sam with something that almost seemed to be pride shining from his eyes. “There’s a reason they call you the smart one.” Pulling his hands out from behind his head, a move that made both Winchesters brace for trouble – they knew what those snapping fingers were capable of – Gabriel spread them out on either side of him. “You’re right, Sammy. I’m not Gabriel. Not exactly. Gabriel didn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving against big bro.”

“Then who the hell are you?” Dean demanded.

Something dark flashed through Gabriel’s eyes before they narrowed on Dean. “Mind your tone with me, _boy_.” Then, as quickly as they’d darkened, his eyes cleared once more and turned towards Sam. The look there was one that Sam had seen plenty of times in his dreams. It was a face Sam would never forget.

And just like that, the answer filled Sam’s mind, suddenly clear to him, just seconds before Gabriel spoke.

“Loki.”


	2. Chapter 2

_Loki._

Little things that Sam had been seeing suddenly made a whole lot more sense. The things that had seem not-quite-right about Gabriel – that darker look in his eyes, the sharper edge to his smirk, the almost wild air about him. All of those made so much more sense. This wasn’t Gabriel siting there in front of them, it was Loki. The trickster. There was no sign of anything angelic about him anymore. The last time Sam had seen him, there’d been an almost glow to Gabriel’s eyes, this hint that most angels seemed to have of something _more_ , something _other_ in their eyes. It was like this little flash of light that showed barely a glimpse of the true being inside.

Right now, the glow in Gabriel’s – _Loki’s_ – eyes was something else entirely. It was darker, almost earthy, giving those golden irises a hint of color that Sam thought might be green.

While Sam was marveling at all this, processing the little bits of information, his brother was reacting entirely differently. Whereas Sam had lowered his gun, Dean was still holding his and was shifting as if to try and drag Sam behind him once more. “What the hell are you talking about?” He demanded in a hard voice that made it clear he was expecting an answer.

Sam could’ve told him that wasn’t the way to go about this. The being they’d known before wouldn’t have tolerated it, but his reactions probably would’ve been more restrained. Sam had a feeling that Loki would have much less restraint when annoyed.

He could see the flash in Loki’s eyes – and right now, he could only call him Loki, couldn’t label the pissed off creature in front of them as anything _but_ Loki – and Sam knew he had to stop this before it got out of control. “How is this possible, Loki?” Sam’s voice was mild in comparison to Dean’s. He used the same easy-going, relaxed tone that he did when he was playing FBI and trying to smooth over tempers so he could get the answers he needed. “We’re not trying to start a fight, we just want to understand. As far as we always knew, Loki and Gabriel were the same person.”

There was a moment where Loki just looked at Sam. Then he huffed out a breath and the tension faded from him. It didn’t escape either of their notice that he ignored Dean completely as he sat up and folded his legs under himself. His eyes stayed locked right on Sam the whole time and made it clear that it was _him_ that he was answering here. “We are. I’m not some trapped soul that was in this vessel while Gabriel rode around. It’s not like I was living my own life until Gabriel came down from Heaven and joined the ride. Think of it more like… multiple personalities. It’s not the best description but it’ll do.”

The idea of that was definitely curious. Sam reached a hand out to his brother, pushing down on his arm to let him know to lower his gun. He heard Dean make a sound of protest and shot him a quick look that he hoped his brother understood meant ‘ _shut up’_. He must’ve, because he didn’t say anything, and he lowered his gun. He didn’t put it away, though.

Sam moved forward to sit down on the edge of the other bed. “How does that work?”

“When I ran away from Heaven, I had to hide, and going around showing off my grace wasn’t exactly gonna help with that. So I buried it as deep as I could and I made myself into this.” Loki spread his hands out again and gestured towards his body. He looked sort of proud of himself in that moment. “It wasn’t easy, but I made a name for myself, got some followers, and I built up my pagan powers. I really became Loki.”

The idea was fascinating. Sam turned over the implications of it and tried to look at it from all angles. Pushing down his grace, which essentially was an angel’s true self, would’ve probably pushed down huge parts of who Gabriel was and left him with the bare bones of any sort of personality in there. But drawing in all that pagan power, he would’ve built up a new version of himself, one that was almost a polar opposite of who he’d been in Heaven. One that was still him, just… different.

“Exactly.” Loki said proudly. He ignored Sam’s glare for once more reading his mind and grinned at him. “They aren’t two separate things. They’re all a part of the whole. I’m pagan and archangel both. Dark and light. Humans have that capability, too. You’re all capable of being good or being bad.” His head tilted and he flashed a smirk up at Dean that was anything but friendly. “Aint that right, bucko?”

Whatever he meant by that had Dean flinching.

That only made Loki’s smirk grow. Whatever was going on there, Sam wasn’t sure, but he doubted it was good so he tried to hurry and turn the conversation back on track. “I think I understand what you mean by this. But, one thing I still don’t understand. When Lucifer …” Sam trailed off, not quite able to say the words.

He didn’t have to. Loki looked back at him and chuckled lowly. “When he killed me?” He filled in for Sam. “No need to pussyfoot around it, kiddo. It happened. When Luci stabbed me, he killed the archangel part of me. But my pagan powers were still tied to something here on Earth and so they got yanked away even as the archangel part was hit and it just sort of made my grace… explode instead of getting destroyed completely. It took me a little bit to pull myself back and get enough juice to pour myself back into my vessel. When I finally woke up, Luci was gone and I was there, sans grace.” The way Loki said it was almost like it was no big deal. Like he wasn’t at all bothered by the fact that he no longer had his grace. He proved that thought only a second later when he casually said “I can still sorta feel it out there. Hell, you’ve got a piece in you I put in there a while ago. It’d take a bit, but I could put it together if I really wanted to.”

“If you really wanted to?” Dean repeated. “You’re saying you _don’t_?”

Loki wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brows, looking like someone had just stuck a pile of crap under his nose. “Why the hell would I want to?”

The Winchesters exchanged a brief look with one another and then turned back to look at Loki again. “Uh, cause it’s your grace?” Dean suggested lamely.

Snorting, Loki leaned back onto his mound of pillows once more. “Ugh, no thank you. I’m not all that eager to be filled with Heaven’s Holy light. I do that an those dickwads upstairs are just gonna try an drag me back home an make me be a part of their stupid little war. I don’t want anything to do with that.”

This time it was Dean who was snorting. “Yeah, cause the first thing I do when I wanna avoid a big fight is go to two people who are smack dab at the center of the whole thing.”

“Who said I was sticking around here with you bozos?” Loki shot back. “I’m not here to play warrior, Deano.”

“Then what’re you doing here, Loki?” Sam hurried to ask before Dean could do it. His brother wouldn’t say it anywhere near as nice as he had.

This time there was something different in Loki’s eyes when they sought out Sam. For a moment it was like the rest of the room fell away. Everything else was forgotten as Sam was pinned underneath the power and the surprising _heat_ in that stare. The way Loki was looking at him – no one had ever looked at Sam like that before. It was a look he’d caught glimpses of in his interactions with the trickster, but he’d only ever seen a glimpse. Whatever it was, it was out in the open now and it stole Sam’s breath away. There was heat and power both there and it reminded him that this body in front of him was just that – a body. A vessel. The _power_ inside was immense and pretty damn powerful, even without the archangel powers mixed in.

Loki’s lips curved up into an amused smile. “Why do you think I’m here, Sam? The other part of me might’ve been afraid to step up to the plate and take what’s offered, but I’m not. “

That immediately had Dean trying to take a step forward. “Now wait a damn minute…!”

Whatever else he might’ve said was cut off when Loki snapped his fingers. The older Winchester disappeared and reappeared a few feet away in one of the chairs at the table. Sam could as Dean tried to move, to _talk_ , only nothing happened. Loki had trapped him in his seat and apparently taken his voice. “Stay there a moment, Rambo.” Loki said, not even looking away from Sam. “Let the big boys talk for a second. We’ll get back to you when we’re done.”

That said, the trickster pushed up on the bed again, this time rising fully to his feet. The sensation of the trickster looking down at him was a strange one – with Sam still on the bed, Loki was just a bit taller than him. He used that to his advantage as he sauntered right up into Sam’s space. When Sam tried to lean back, he found that he was bound in place too. “Loki!” Panic kicked in and had him jerking around to try and get free. Each movement that he made, futile as it was, seemed to make the heat in Loki’s eyes grow even more. The trickster came right up in front of him and stepped between Sam’s slightly spread knees. One of his hands lifted and brushed Sam’s hair back from his face. When Sam tried to pull away, ignoring that slight urge to lean _in_ , those fingers slid into his hair and suddenly he found himself unable to move his head beyond the iron grip that held him there.

When Sam made a low sound of protest, Loki shushed him almost gently. “I’m not gonna hurt you, kiddo.”

“No?” Sam tried to make his voice harder to hide the little quiver of fear he knew would be there. “You just show up in our motel room, pin my brother and I down and make it so we can’t move, but you’re not gonna hurt me, right?”

Loki’s smile softened and little crinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it already. But I’m not here for that.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I told you, Sammy.” Loki bent down, bringing their faces closer together until even breath Sam drew in was one that had just passed Loki’s lips. Dropping his voice down to a low, husky murmur, Loki breathed out against his lips “I’m here for you.” He tilted his head, brushing their noses against one another, and their lips were so close there was barely any space between them. “The other part of me was too scared to step up to the plate. Too afraid of pissing off the feather dusters upstairs. But I’m not. You’re _mine_ , Sammy.”

There was no way Sam was going to admit that the shiver that ran down his spine wasn’t just from fear. “I don’t belong to anyone!” Sam hissed. He wished his voice sounded a little steadier. It would’ve made his words more believable.

Loki’s chuckle sent a warm jolt of arousal straight down Sam’s gut. “Oh, sweetheart. You’ve been mine for quite a long time. Think about it, Sammy. When we were at the Mystery Spot and you were begging me to bring your brother back, I did it, didn’t I? I granted you a boon. As a hunter, you should know that gods don’t do things for free.”

 _Shit_. Sam’s thoughts stalled briefly and then he felt his eyes go wide even as his mouth dropped open on a soft, surprised breath. How the hell had he never thought of that? All he’d thought of was that he had his brother back! Sam hadn’t bothered to think of what it could mean. But having it pointed out to him made it abundantly clear. Loki was right – gods _never_ did anything for free. No supernatural creature did. In all the lore there was always a price when you asked a god a favor. If they granted it, without that price being set, it put you in their debt and they were free to collect however they wanted. Sam had never set a price for his request. He’d simply begged to have his brother back.

The smile on Loki’s face grew. He bumped their noses together again. “See? Now you’re getting it. That was the first part of our little bond. After that, well, you helped strengthen it, whether you realized it or not, making such gorgeous little offerings for me.”

“Offerings?” Sam repeated, his voice a bit hoarse.

“You really should be more careful who you’re thinking about when you’re having your alone time, handsome.”

The low words were almost purred out against his lips. Sam had to fight to swallow down the lump in his throat. It only took a split second for the realization to hit. As it did, Sam turned bright red with mortification, the color heating not only his cheeks but down his neck as well. Loki had… he’d heard… he _knew_ …

Oh, _damn_. This was serious. It was serious and it was definitely something that he needed to think about – later. Later, when he wasn’t trapped on a bed by a pagan god looking to do who knew what with him.

Another chuckle from Loki let him know that the god was still shamelessly picking up on his thoughts. “Oh, gorgeous, you keep that up and you’re gonna ruin my plans. The list of things I wanna do to you is long. _But,_ I can be patient. I can wait for you to come to me. It’ll make it a whole hell of a lot sweeter in the end.” Sharp teeth caught Sam’s bottom lip and the hunter gasped, a sound that Loki easily swallowed. When he let go, he was smirking again. “I always did like a little fight.”

Sam tried his very best to glare up at him. “Let go of me.”

“In due time. I’m not quite up to the kind of fight you’d give me.” Loki drew back just a little and Sam drew in a quick breath of air that left him feeling dizzy. That only made Loki’s grin grow back into the one that put those crinkles at the corners of his eyes. One half was curled up a little more than the other, a smirk that was natural on his face. He straightened himself back up and looked down at Sam, his hand still holding Sam’s hair. “I’d love to play the game with you right and give you the time you need to come to me, but the apocalypse kind of puts a damper on those kinds of plans. So, sorry, handsome, but we’re gonna have to make things go a little faster than I like. Until this mess gets dealt with, you’re coming to stay with me.”

There was a strange sound off to the side that Sam knew had to be his brother struggling to get free. He knew if he looked he’d find Dean fighting against his bonds and trying to figure out some way to get free or to get a message to Sam. But Sam didn’t look at him. He kept his eyes on Loki as he very clearly told him “Like hell I am.”

Amusement lit Loki’s eyes. “You think you have a choice?”

This wasn’t going to work. Fighting and demands were going to get him nowhere. Sam forced himself to draw in a fortifying breath and hold on to the sharp words that wanted to fly past his lips. Fighting was what Loki wanted, in a sense. Sam wasn’t going to give that to him. He wasn’t Dean – his temper wasn’t going to lead here. Instead, he’d fall back on what he was best at – words. “Even if I wanted to go, I can’t, Loki. I can’t leave.”

“Why not? Because of some misplaced guilt you can’t get rid of?” The hand in Sam’s hair loosened and those fingers started to move in a gentle caress that was at odds with the rest of the situation. Even the look in Loki’s eyes had gentled some. There wasn’t just heat there, or that possessive glow that had taken them over. This was something else, something that made Sam’s breath catch. “You’re one human, Sam. You can’t stop this mess on your own.”

Sam swallowed again. He tried to put as much emotion into his words as he could. Persuading people had always been a skill of his and it was one that he tried his damndest to put to use now. “I know I am. But I have to try. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. If you know me at all, Loki, you have to know that  I wouldn’t… I’d never be happy like that. Locking me away somewhere, it’d just make me miserable. I need to be here, with Dean, trying to stop this.”

The room went quiet as the two stared at one another. Sam didn’t try to move; he almost didn’t dare to _breathe_. He just stared up at Loki and hoped the trickster could see just how honest he was.

Loki huffed out an annoyed breath and his expression shifted into a glare that Sam was all too familiar with. It was one that he’d seen on Dean’s face plenty of times when he convinced his brother to do something that Dean most definitely did not want to do. Inside, Sam felt himself relax, tension bleeding out of his muscle.

“Ugh. You’re disgustingly nice, has anyone ever told you that?” Loki’s words sounded completely fed up with the whole situation. His hand tightened for a second in Sam’s hair and then smoothed it all flat. “ _Fine_. If you insist on staying here and stupidly putting yourself in harm’s reach, I’m not gonna stop you. But!” He drew his hand away from Sam’s head to point it at him, a stern look on his face. “I’m not gonna sit back and just watch, either. Knowing you, you’d get your ass killed, and then I’d have to go out and kill the idiot stupid enough to touch what’s mine.”

That definitely hadn’t been what Sam was expecting. “What?”

Loki lifted his hand and snapped. The bonds around Sam released and, when he looked, he saw that Dean’s had been released as well.

The younger Winchester turned back in just enough time to watch as Loki threw himself down on Sam’s bed and ended up back in the position that he’d started this in – propped up on the pillows, legs out, hands behind his head. “Consider me your newest hunting companion. Fill me in, boys. What’s on the agenda first? A hunt? Tracking down rings? Or we going to go bring your little broken angel home?”


	3. Chapter 3

The tension inside the Impala was so thick it was stifling. It felt like a powder keg that was pretty much ready to blow at a second’s notice. All it needed was one little spark. Sam hunched down low in his seat and kept his attention firmly fixed away from his brother beside him and the trickster who was probably still stretched out in the backseat. There was no way the younger Winchester was going to risk doing anything that might end up becoming that spark. Besides, he had plenty enough to think to keep himself occupied. Starting with the fact that all three of them were even here inside the same car together and no one was killing anyone.

Sam had been so sure that Dean would try and kill the trickster when Loki finally released them. He’d even braced himself, ready to step in between them if need be, only to find that it wasn’t necessary. And really, he should’ve figured. After all, Loki had mentioned the one thing guaranteed to get Dean’s notice – which was most likely his plan. He’d mentioned Castiel.

A little part of Sam wanted to grumble over the fact that apparently even a hint of Castiel was enough to wipe out pretty much anything and everything else, but that part was quickly smothered underneath the rest of him that was just as damn eager to go and find the angel. To make sure that he was okay. His name was one that sat on Sam’s list. However, even if he _was_ alive – and Loki’s words suggested that he was – his name would still stay there. Because whether or not Castiel was alive, his life had been irrevocably altered by Sam’s mistakes. Sure, he’d played a part in them. They’d been Sam’s choices in the end, though.

The sudden sound of a snap drew the attention of both Winchesters. Sam’s head jerked up at the same time that Dean actually swerved a little from the force of his own jump.

When Sam spun around to look behind him, he found Loki was watching him with a sharp, almost angry gaze.

“Dude!” Dean snapped out, straightening out the car. “What the hell?”

Loki didn't take his eyes off Sam. “Jumpy much, boys?” Lifting one hand, he showed them the bag of popcorn he was holding. “Just snapping up a little snack back here.” His eyes flashed a little and Sam had to fight not to squirm underneath that stare. He had a strong suspicion that there was more to it than that. Sam remembered that this god could read his thoughts and so far hadn’t shown the smallest hint of hesitation in doing so.

Dean scowled as his eyes flashed up to the rearview mirror and then back out at the road. “Rule one, pipsqueak – no snapping shit up in the car. I don't wanna have to be jerking around every time you get a little finger-happy back there.”

Finally breaking Sam’s stare, Loki looked over at Dean and smiled, his voice dripping with false sweetness as he asked “Don't trust me, Deano?”

Dean snorted. “Hell no.”

“Smart boy.” Amber eyes twinkled a little and Loki arched one eyebrow, slanting his gaze back to Sam. “What about you, Samalam?”

Sam stared at him a moment longer and then deliberately turned himself back around in his seat. He made sure not to look back in any way; especially when he heard the husky chuckles behind him.

There was no way that Sam could sit there and say that he trusted the trickster. Before, he might've admitted to trusting Gabriel. Or at least working that way. But the trickster? A pure trickster without any of the archangel inside to help balance him out? No. Sam would have to be stupid to trust him. _I've already gone that route before_ , he thought to himself. _Not a mistake I'm making again_.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts out and focused himself back on the conversation going on beside him. “If you wanted us to trust you, maybe you could do something that actually _helps_.”

“Dying for you wasn’t enough?”

Sam winced at that. He couldn’t help it. Despite the fact that they had Loki here now, in all honesty Gabriel _had_ died. The archangel part of him had been killed – and by his brother, no less. Was it any wonder that Loki wasn’t all that eager to get back his grace? All he’d have waiting for him was a Heavenly family who were busy fighting and who had showed so far that they had no qualms about killing him.

There was movement in the backseat and then Sam felt Loki’s elbow settling onto the back of Sam’s seat, right up against his back. Small finger slipped into Sam’s hair and started to stroke in a way that was far more soothing than Sam wanted to admit to.

“That wasn’t our fault!” Dean was exclaiming, seemingly not noticing how close the trickster had just gotten to his brother. “You made that choice, dude, not us.”

Loki made a low humming sound and folded his other arm so that it rested on the seat back. Then he leaned forward. Sam felt it as the trickster leaned in just enough to be able to tilt his head and actually bring it down to rest on Sam's shoulder. It allowed him to keep looking at Dean and never broke his hold on Sam's hair. Sam froze, not quite sure what to do. He held perfectly still as Loki…was he _nuzzling_ against Sam’s shoulder?

The trickster sighed and settled in against Sam. “Wouldn't have had to make that choice if you and your brother could figure out a way to keep your asses safe.”

“We didn’t...!”

“Oh, forget it.” Loki waved a hand negligently. “You're here, I'm here, an soon enough your little lost seraph will be back in your reach and you can do all the many posturing you want.”

“How is he?” Sam asked, breaking into their conversation. It seemed like he was going to be doing this a lot if Loki really stuck around. Stepping in between them to stop any sort of argument from happening.

Sam tried to pull himself away from Loki's head under the pretense of turning to be able to look at him. The trickster resisted only for a second. Then he sighed and sat himself up just enough to be able to look at them both. “He's fine. Tired, pretty much human, but fine.”

“And why couldn't you go get him again?” Dean asked.

“Where's the fun in that?”

A headache was starting to build in Sam's temples. As he listened to his brother growl, he bent his head down and brought one hand up to rub over his eyes and pinch at his nose. This was going to be a long, long, long trip.

* * *

They made it to Louisiana in record time. Dean sped the whole way there and only stopped once to take a quick bathroom break and to refuel. After that he was right back on the road again.

Through the whole trip Loki surprisingly stayed in the backseat. Sam hadn't expected that. He'd expected the trickster to get bored and pop himself away, or maybe pop them a bit ahead. Or was that an archangel power? Did he not have the strength or ability to transport them all with just his pagan powers? It was an interesting puzzle to think about. One that Sam knew he'd explore a little later on. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could ask and actually get some answers out of Loki. The trickster seemed surprisingly willing to talk. At least when it was Sam that was asking the questions.

For the most part Loki just laid in the backseat and snapped himself up snacks or drinks or, one memorable moment, some new music on the radio. That had been enough to set Dean off for at least a good fifty miles. There was nothing more sacred to him than the Impala and messing with it was a sure way to get yourself into a lot of trouble.

But now they were here, finally at the hospital that Loki claimed Castiel was at, and Dean had rushed straight inside to go and get him. Sam stayed outside under the guise of keeping a lookout. He was a bit surprised that Dean accepted that. Either he really did think that they needed one or he was just too caught up in going to see Castiel to worry about anything else.

“Oh the second one, definitely.” A voice chimed in.

Sam resisted the urge to jump when he heard Loki's voice. Looking over from his own spot leaning against the side of the Impala, he found that the trickster was actually sitting on the trunk cross-legged. The last Sam had known Loki had been going inside with Dean to make sure that he could actually get through hospital security to get to Castiel.

“Would you stay out of my head?” Sam demanded.

“But such a gorgeous head it is!” Reaching out, Loki ruffled Sam’s hair. He laughed out loud when Sam scowled and jerked away.

There were so many things that Sam wanted to say right then. Questions that he wanted to ask. Questions that he knew he _should_ ask. Without Dean here, this was the best time to get information. As much as Sam could be irritated by Loki sometimes he could keep his calm enough to be able to at least get some information out of trickster, and he could do it without threatening to kill him over and over again. Yet as Sam looked at him, the only thing he could seem to bring himself to say was “I don’t understand.”

Some of the humor on Loki's face faded away. His smile was just a bit more honest, a bit realer, and it gave him a different look entirely. One that Sam couldn't remember seeing turned his way by anyone except Jess. “I know you don't, kiddo. That's part of the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering right away, Loki shifted a little and settled his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together and then resting his chin on them. It left him with his sharp eyes right on Sam's face. For once, the rest of his body was still, no sign of any of that absent movement he'd showed even in the car. It looked like he was seriously thinking about Sam's question and carefully forming an answer. That made Sam pay a little more attention. Instead of settling his back in against the car, he leaned on his side, allowing himself to watch Loki and wait.

After a few minutes, Loki let out a breath that Sam knew he didn't actually need. “I told you back in that dump you called a room – you're mine, Sammo. That's not a declaration I make lightly. You... intrigue me. You have since the moment I met you.”

“Why?” Sam couldn't stop himself from asking. “I'm not... I'm not anything special.”

One corner of Loki's mouth curved up and his smile seemed almost, sad, in some ways. “The fact that you don't realize it only makes it more true. There's something about you that's just drawn me in right from the start. It's why I tried to help you. I just didn't get it all right.”

Sam winced. “Mystery Spot.” That was still a sore point for him. Even if he understood what Loki had been trying to do, it didn't make the memories any easier to handle.

“Yeah.” Loki said, sighing. “Believe it or not, I was trying to help. It just didn't go as planned. Didn't take into account just how tightly bound you two chuckleheads are. But I realized by the end that nothing I could say or do was gonna make you two let go. So, I kept tabs on you and tried to think of something else. You were _mine_ and there was no way I was just gonna forget that and let everything just happen. But the angel side of me had woken up and was pushing forward, and it had me keeping back further than I should have. Ruined the plans I had, too. Then you popped the lid on Luci's box an I had no chance in hell on keeping in control. The other half of me took over – that's the part you guys saw at the warehouse.”

“But now, with that part gone…”

“I’m free to do what I should’ve been doing all along.” Uncurling his legs, Loki let them dangle off the side of the car, his hands going down to brace him on either side of his legs. “I meant what I said back there, Sam. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”

“Do I get a choice in this?”

“Nope.”

Sam couldn’t stop the way that he huffed a little. Rocking back, putting just a tiny bit of distance between them, he looked Loki over from head to toe before settling on his face. “How is that any better than Ruby? Or Lucifer? Or, hell, even Azazel? All of them were pretty sure I belonged to them, too. An for all their talk about choices, they never gave me any even if they try and give the illusion of it.” Lucifer certainly wasn’t. He claimed that this was all Sam’s choice, that he had the free will to say Yes or No, and yet at the same time he talked about how it was inevitable. That they would always end up together.

Instead of looking offended by Sam’s question, Loki smirked, looking every inch the trickster in that moment. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

Yeah, _that_ wasn’t reassuring _at all_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for a slightly manipulative Loki. Then again, that kinda goes without saying, doesn't it?

It was a very exhausted looking Castiel that followed Dean out of the hospital a little while later. The angel looked worse than Sam could remember seeing. He looked tired, his body slumped just the slightest bit as he trailed behind Dean, and there was something in the set of his face that lacked its usual confidence. There’d always been sense of the _other_ around Castiel. This feeling that he was something more, something greater than their understanding. Sam knew that sometimes Dean actually forgot that Castiel was an angel – Sam never had. He’d always seen it in Castiel’s face, in his bearing, in the energy that seemed to exist around him. That… that was gone now. It made Sam feel sick. They may not have gotten Castiel killed, but this seemed almost _worse_. They’d taken away who Castiel was, his very existence, and left him – human.

He felt a hand settle on the back of his neck and drew a surprising amount of comfort from it. “He’s alive.” Loki murmured near Sam’s ear. “Anything else can be dealt with.”

Sam watched the two approach and tried to control the aching inside. “Let’s hope _he_ sees it that way.”

A moment later the duo finally reached them and Sam watched Castiel visibly straighten up and draw himself together. Those bright blue eyes flashed over to Loki and settled right on him, never once breaking away even as his gave his greetings. “Hello Sam, Gabriel.”

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Sam tilted his head, looking over his shoulder – when had he gotten so close? – so that he could see Loki’s face. The trickster was chewing on the end of a long piece of licorice and smirking at the seraph. He lifted one finger and waggled it at Castiel like he was scolding a child. “Not Gabriel, bucko.”

If he thought this odd, Castiel didn’t comment on it. He inclined his head ever so slightly. “My apologies. Hello, Loki.”

“Hey, Cassie!” Loki answered cheerfully.

It was no surprise to watch the scowl that was covering Dean’s face. Annoyed with either the exchanged, or with Loki in general – a more likely possibility – he snapped out “Get off my car.”

Instead of moving, Loki grinned and swung his legs so that his heels kept knocking together. “So,” He drawled the word out, ignoring Dean and fixating on Castiel once more. “Looking pretty banged up there, Wings.”

“Some internal injuries that are still healing.” Castiel answered him. He was standing up straight but it didn’t escape Sam’s notice that he was leaning in just the slightest bit towards Dean, or that Dean stepped closer to act as a support just the way he’d done for Sam plenty of times when his little brother was injured.

Loki snorted and grabbed his licorice, biting off the end. He used the rest of his licorice to gesture towards the seraph. “Little dim, too. I think a lightbulb’s got more juice than you right now.”

“Hey!” Dean snapped. Even Sam flinched, shooting the trickster a reproving look.

Castiel, however, simply nodded. “I am, not what I once was.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Loki said dryly.

It was Dean who asked the question the rest of them were wondering. “Can you help him?” The words were rough, as most everything Dean said to Loki sounded, but there was a hint of something else underneath the surface that showed just how important this was to him. How big of a deal it really was.

Everyone turned their attention to Loki now. Much to Sam’s exasperation and amusement, the little shit actually preened under their attention, tossing his hair back from his face and lifting his chin up. “I _could_.” Lifting his hands off the car, he liked them together over his head and stretched – Sam ignored the little sliver of skin that appeared at the bottom of his shirt, resolutely forcing himself to watch Loki’s face instead – and then he settled his hands back on the car and leaned his weight back on them until he was lounging there. For a moment as Sam watched him he got a glimpse of not just Loki the trickster, but Loki the pagan god. A god who had once probably sat on a throne before others and accepted sacrifices and granted favors to his worshipers. The image of him in furs leathers and furs flashed through Sam’s mind and made him shiver.

Somehow Loki managed to make it look like he wasn’t sitting on the back of a car, but on that throne Sam had pictured, looking down at them through half open, amused eyes. One eyebrow arched in lazy amusement. “The question is – what’s in it for me if I do?”

“You son of a…” Dean began, only to get cut off by Castiel lifting a hand and settling it on his arm. The seraph wasn’t even looking at Dean. Staring at Loki, he calmly asked “Can you heal me? Not just my body, but my grace?”

“Your body, sure?” Loki said easily. “Your grace?” He paused and shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t make it what it once was, but I could show you a trick or two on how to maintain it. Things they don’t usually teach the rank and file.”

“And what would you request in return?”

“Cas!” Dean hissed. He had one hand on Castiel’s back and turned now, trying to put himself between the two of them. “Dude, what are you doing?”

Castiel ignored him, focusing on Loki, who was watching him and smirking. Whatever Loki was going to say next was going to be bad – Sam could feel it. He just knew that Loki was going to open his mouth and say something none of them wanted to hear. Some price that was bigger and greater than they’d be willing to pay.

The single word answer that Loki gave was in a language that Sam didn’t recognize. It was, however, one that Castiel clearly did. The angel looked like he’d been slapped in the face. His eyes widened briefly before narrowing on Loki.

For a long moment they were all quiet as Loki and Castiel stared at one another. Not even Dean dared speak. He was taking in everything about Castiel, every tiny little flicker in his expression, and whatever the older hunter saw there was enough to have him tensing. Sam, however, watched Loki. There was magic and challenge both glittering in his eyes and a dangerous air about him. One that promised trouble, though Sam wasn’t sure who to. Them?

Suddenly, to the absolute shock of the two humans watching, Castiel came forward and slid down to one knee in front of Loki, wincing only a little as his aching body protested, and then down onto the other. Sam watched with a growing sense of discomfort and worry as his friend knelt there before a being that was and yet was not his older brother – an older brother who hadn’t exactly been all that brotherly to him so far. What was going on? What had Loki asked for – what was Castiel giving up?

Dean seemed to have the same questions, only he wasn’t willing to just stand there and stare like Sam seemed to be. “Now wait just a damn minute. What’s going on here? Cas, what’s he having you do?”

“Stay back, Dean.” Castiel spoke in a voice that carried just a hint of a command to it. Settling his hands on his thighs, Castiel looked up at Loki, who was watching him with that same look of smug amusement. It was a look of someone who was amused by the lesser being before them. Castiel didn’t seem bothered by it, though. He straightened his spine and lifted his chin. “Will a formal pledge do, or do you require blood as well?”

Loki’s grin sharpened. In response, he lifted a hand that suddenly held a rather wicked looking knife, and he tossed it down to the kneeling angel.

The world around them seemed to suddenly be holding its breath. The power that Sam had felt around Loki before was stronger now, more focused, and it stole his breath away. Sam wasn’t even aware of the things that he brother was saying, or the way that Loki’s powers were keeping Dean back. All his focus was on Castiel as the angel held out his left hand and made a cut into the palm. Blood welled up instantly and gathered there, dripping down to the ground. The power in the air grew heavier. Whatever words he said next were in Enochian and beyond Sam’s understanding. But he understood one word there at the end. Castiel gave only a brief pause before he ended with the word “Gabriel”

Sam shuddered as he felt the power swell bigger than ever and then _snap_. Castiel let out a gasp, falling forward. The knife clattered to the ground and the angel just barely caught himself on both hands before he face planted. Behind him, Dean was shouting, and Sam was sure that others nearby must see or hear _something_ going on. Only no one came up to them.

Then, just as abruptly as it’d hit, the power, the magic, was gone.

Loki pushed off the back of Dean’s car and dropped down to his feet just inches in front of Castiel. Then he squatted down in front of him. He let out a husky chuckle and shook his head at Castiel’s bent form. With one hand he reached out, cupping Castiel’s cheek in his palm, and there was a smile on his face. “Stand up, Castiel. You did good. You did real good, kiddo.”

“What the hell did you do?” Dean shouted. As Castiel drew up to his feet, Dean and Sam both hurried towards him, reaching out to steady him and brace him for the last little bit. Only, it looked like he didn’t need it. The injuries that he’d been wearing when he came out were gone now.

“It was necessary, Dean.” Castiel said. His voice sounded steadier – stronger. He drew himself up and away from their hands, and there was a hint of his old bearing to him. The soldier, proud and strong. He placed himself between Dean and Loki deliberately and put a hand out on Dean’s chest to stop him from attempting to lunge towards him. “There are many things that a god may do, but granting a favor such as this requires payment. It is the way their powers work. To receive a favor, a price must be paid. I paid mine willingly.”

“And what’d you give up, huh? What’d you sacrifice in return for some healing and grace help?” Dean asked.

But Sam was piecing it all together in his head and he was pretty sure he knew. Their postures, the way that they’d both positioned themselves, the words that Gabriel had said at the end – it all added up to one thing. When he saw Loki grin at him, he knew he had it right. “He swore himself to you.” Sam said slowly, watching Loki’s face. “That was an oath of, what? Fealty?”

“Fealty?” Dean looked pissed and just a little bit disgusted. His eyes went to Sam and then back to Castiel. “You swore to obey that little bastard?”

“Not exactly.” Castiel said.

Loki let out another of his laughs and leaned himself back against the car. “It’s an old Enochian oath. Angels don’t swear fealty to anyone but God, so it’s not quite like what you’re thinking, bucko. More like what an angel gives to their garrison commander. An oath to listen, obey, and never betray. The consequences of breaking it are pretty severe.”

“That’s a hell of a price for something that you could’ve done on your own anyways. Your body would’ve healed.”

Castiel nodded his head in agreement. “Yes. But my grace would not have. Besides,” Pausing, Castiel turned to look at Gabriel, his gaze sharper and a bit calculating. “I swore my oath to Gabriel, whom I trust. I swore nothing to Loki.”

“Oh, kiddo.” The laugh Loki gave was low and rich, like hot chocolate. Warm, rich, and sweet, with the edge of something darker to it. “You really think you can out trick a trickster? One who still remembers being Gabriel? I practically _invented_ loopholes. Tell me, did you really think a basic pagan would’ve been able to jumpstart your grace any?” He snorted at the looks they were giving him. “Only grace can do that – archangel grace. Even just a scrap of it.”

“I thought yours split apart.” Sam pointed out.

“It did.” Loki agreed, nodding at him. “Buuuut, there may’ve been a tiny bit of my grace tied to my vessel. I put it there a long time ago. Pretty sure it’s how I got yanked back into the vessel after Luci got all stabby, actually. An just cause I don’t want the rest back don’t mean I’m stupid enough to look past the benefit that even this small bit gives me. Indestructible except for archangel blades? _Hells_ yeah. It’s not like it’s enough to influence me enough to actually have to be Gabriel. Just enough to keep me, safe. _So_ ,” His smirk grew bigger. “I promise, your vow was definitely effective. And,” Snapping his fingers, he brought his knife up to his hands. One thumb ran along the still red edge of it, gathering up the little blood that sat there. To the humans’ disgust, he popped his thumb in his mouth and sucked at it like it was one of his suckers. When he pulled his thumb out, he was grinning. “Now it works for both sides. Gabriel’s name, Loki’s knife, my grace, your blood – a perfect little mix. No way of backing outta this vow now, _little brother_.”

This was entirely underhanded and Sam could see Castiel reeling from it and Dean getting more and more furious. However, something else was catching Sam’s attention, something that had been bugging him up until now. Loki’s little speech gave him the last piece of the puzzle. When he put it all together and realized what happened, he shot a glare over at the trickster. “You wanted him to pay this price.” Sam said. The words were set as a question; he knew the truth of them. “You set that all up so you could get the outcome you wanted – this, right here. You wanted his oath.” His words startled the others, drawing their attention off of each other and over to him.

Sam was watching Loki’s face and he was sure he saw something that might’ve been pride in Loki’s eyes. The trickster smirked up at him. He didn’t even attempt to deny it. “Yep.”

“ _Why_?” Dean asked, almost spitting the word out. He was tense and more than ready to start throwing punches. Sam knew that look well and he knew what it meant for those around him. This was a Dean close to the edge. A lot had been thrown at him today and there wasn’t much more he could take.

A snort came from Loki and he rolled his eyes. “So have you, kiddo, and you’re still holding up fine.” Then, as if he hadn’t just been responding to Sam’s thoughts, he focused back on the others and actually answered Dean’s question, even if it wasn’t quite the way they’d expected him to. “Because I don’t trust you chuckleheads. Especially not you, Cassie. You bounce between sides faster than a tennis ball. You’ve gone from being in Heaven’s court, back to the Winchesters, back to Heaven, back to the Winchesters – you get the picture. Sure, you’re on their side now, but what’s to stop you from switching again?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Loki arched an eyebrow. “Who’s to say they won’t try an yank you back home for a bit of reeducation? You got good intentions, kiddo, but I trust you with them just about as much as Deano here trusts me. So yeah, you’re damn right I tricked you.” Leaning in, he stared hard at Castiel; so hard that the seraph actually leaned back. “I will end you before I let you cause harm to what’s mine again.”

Just as quickly as Loki had turned angry, the fury was wiped off of his face and he looked like his usual, smirking self. “Well!” Clapping his hands together, he straightened back up. “Now that I know I can have Cassie here look after you boys, at least for a little while, I’m gonna go wrap up a few things, grab my important stuff, make sure things can be taken care of while I’m on my little road trip with you boys. I’ll meet you at whatever slum you boys kip it at tonight.”

With nothing more than that, he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam’s head was killing him by the time they finally reached a motel for the night. From the instant that Loki had left them, Dean had been shouting and arguing about pretty much everything. Loki’s existence, how he survived Lucifer, his lack of grace, his plan to stick around, him helping Castiel – and that oath. _That_ part of the argument had been the loudest. It was also a part that Sam knew better than to try and step in the middle of. All he could do at the time was hunch down low in his seat and hope that Dean didn’t turn his attention his way. The last thing he wanted was that temper turned on him.

Of course, that didn’t last long. It took no time at all for Dean’s fury to turn Sam’s way.

It probably shouldn’t have hurt to hear just how much of this whole thing Dean seemed willing to blame on him. It did, though. Dean acted like Sam had done all of this personally, like he’d called Loki here and asked him to start screwing with them. Talk of his ‘claim’ on Sam was what really set the older Winchester off, though. “What the hell is it with you, Sam? Can’t you pick someone _normal_ instead of another freaking monster?”

“I believe Loki will bring Sam to no harm.” Castiel interrupted, cutting off whatever other painful words Dean might’ve wanted to spew out. Sam was too stunned from that verbal blow to really say anything in his own defense.

Dean’s gaze snapped up to the rearview mirror to look at Castiel and then went back to the road. “No harm, huh? What do you call everything that happened before, then?”

“A trickster attempting to help while fighting the influence of an archangel.” Castiel said promptly. “If the two halves of his personality were battling as you suggested, it is logical that his interactions with Sam would have been odd. But he is almost entirely pagan at the moment. Loki is the one that is in control and he has stated his claim on Samuel for all to see. In that claim is a promise to keep him safe. Sam could have no better protection at the moment than Loki. Even were he to gain more of his grace, I firmly believe he would be too tied to him now to be able to let him go.”

Sam watched as Dean visibly relaxed at that. On the outside, the younger hunter kept his face impassive. Inside, he couldn’t resist a huge mental snort.

So, great, Loki had a claim on him, one that apparently was going to keep him safe, and Dean was just willing to take Castiel’s words on that and treat them like they were gospel. When Sam tried to argue in Loki’s defense, it automatically made the trickster wrong because everyone knew that _Sam’s_ opinion on things was messed up. But, oh, _Castiel_ , apparently his judgment was just perfect for Dean. _He_ says that Loki is okay and Dean not only stops shouting about it, he actually goes right ahead and books them _two_ rooms when they get to their motel, shoving a key at Sam and snapping “He’s _your_ problem. _You_ get to put up with him.”

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fight back his snarky and sarcastic thoughts. It wasn’t Castiel’s fault that there was trouble between Sam and Dean. They were getting better than they had been, but neither one of them ever forgot the things that Sam had done, the things he’d caused to happen. Dean’s anger and mistrust were justified. Sometimes Sam just wished that the _good_ things he’d done managed to count for something, too.

He hefted his bag over his shoulder and unlocked his room door, taking note that his room was a few doors away from Dean’s. He tried not to think about why that was he was so far away from Dean and Castiel. Sam _really_ didn’t want to think about what his brother and his brother’s angel might be getting up to alone together.

When he opened up his door, it really wasn’t any surprise at all to see that Loki was already in there sitting on the bed that usually belonged to Dean. Sam tried not to groan. “I’m not in the mood right now, Loki.”

“I can tell.” Loki didn’t look the least bit bothered by it, though. He sat up and crossed his legs underneath himself. Then he grinned right up at Sam. “I can’t imagine big bro was all that happy.”

“Yeah, thanks for leaving me with that.”

“You’re welcome!”

Rolling his eyes, Sam strolled over to the other bed and dropped his bag down. He had a feeling it was going to be futile to even attempt to argue Loki out of the room. With the headache already pounding in his temples, Sam just didn’t have the patience to even make an attempt. Right then he wanted nothing more than to lie down and let his headache fade away. Not sleep – he really didn’t want to sleep. Just, lay down in the quiet and the dark. Was that too much to ask? A little bit of time without someone telling him how stupid he was or reminding him of all his mistakes, or someone promising him things and threatening him and his family in equal turns.

A low snap came from nearby and the lights in the room were suddenly dimmed considerably, though not completely off. Sam looked up with surprise to find that Loki was now lying on his stomach on the other bed, a leather-bound book spread out on the bed in front of him and a pen in hand. He didn’t look up at Sam as he said “The room’s already warded. Not like anything’s getting in with me here, but it’s all up and safe. You should be able to get at least an hour of peace before those two bozos stop arguing and decide they wanna go get something to eat.”

There was a whole list of reasons why Sam should argue lying down and resting with Loki standing guard over him. At the moment, he just couldn’t seem to think of any. He looked at the top of Loki’s head and tried to find the words that he wanted to say. What came out wasn’t at all what he’d intended. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

Loki’s hand paused in his writing. When he looked up at Sam, his eyes were full of amusement and there was a slight glow in them, like fire through whiskey. “I don’t really _need_ to sleep.”

He was being deliberately dense about this. Sam sighed, reaching up to rub over his forehead, hoping to rub away some of the headache that was still pounding so hard. That sign of honest pain on him was enough to cut off whatever Loki had been about to say next. The trickster shut his mouth and watched Sam a second longer. He shook his head even as he let out a sigh. “Sam,” The use of Sam’s actual name was enough to have him opening his eyes again and looking down at Loki. The expression on the trickster’s face was serious than Sam had expected. “Just because I have a claim on you doesn’t mean I’m gonna jump you the second your ass hits that bed. Delicious as that sounds,” He paused just to wink at him, making Sam roll his eyes. “I’m not into rape. I told you before, I’m willing to wait for you to come to me.”

“I don’t understand you.” Sam said in a soft voice.

Smiling, Loki nodded. “I know. I’m just too awesome for you. That’s okay, Sammy boy. You’re only a human. No one expects more outta you.”

There was nothing that Sam could think of to say to that. He had a feeling arguing about his humanity wasn’t exactly something that would go over well. Besides, arguing about it would most likely end up bringing up Ruby and the things he’d done with her, things that made him decidedly _not_ just a human anymore, and they were the last thing Sam wanted to get into right now. Making his headache worse didn’t seem like a smart plan. So he ignored that last comment and instead asked the question that was nagging in his mind. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

There were layers to that question. Sam wasn’t just asking why Loki was being nice right now with the low lights and the offer of quiet rest, though that did seem strange. He wanted to know why Loki was being nice to him at all. Why he was _claiming_ him in front of everyone. Who on earth would want to lay claim to him? Sam was the thing that people hated, not the thing they cared about. Not even Dean, who’d cared for him and loved him his whole life, was all that big on the ‘caring’ part of their relationship at the moment.

Loki’s eyes narrowed on Sam. That dark light flashed in them again and Sam sucked in a breath, suddenly very, very still. But Loki didn’t come towards him and he didn’t reach out with his powers. He just laid there and stared up at Sam with an intensity that was unsettling. “You’re not as dark as you think you are, Sam. Trust me – both parts of me have seen true evil, and you don’t even come close." He held up a hand, either seeing the argument on Sam's face or hearing it in his thoughts. "I know you don't believe me, but that's how it is. If there's anyone that would recognize an evil dick, it's me, and you're far from it."

"That doesn't explain..." Sam trailed off, not quite sure how to put what he wanted to say.

The smile that Loki gave him somehow managed to be sharp and sweet, dangerous and possessive, all at the same time. "I take care of what's mine, no matter what. You don't have to understand it. It's just how it is."

He said it so simply there were no words that Sam could come up with to even begin arguing it. His head was aching too hard for him to even begin to try.

"Lay down, Sam." Loki said, low and easy. "You can grill me later when your head isn't trying to split open."

For a second longer Sam just stood there staring at the being on the bed. He didn't understand Loki and he wasn't sure a clear head was going to be able to help with that. But Loki was right, questions and such could wait until Sam felt a little more like himself.

He didn't question why he found it so easy or comfortable to lay down and close his eyes. It shouldn't have been possible, considering who he shared a room with. He should've been on edge and alert for any sort of trick. That's what Dean would do. But as Sam laid there and closed his eyes, he felt himself relaxing down into the bed, the tension in his muscles melting away.

Very softly, the sound of humming reached his ears. It was a tune that seemed both strange and ancient, and it wove its way through Sam's mind, taking him just to the edge of sleep without tipping him over into it.

* * *

Loki pretty much called it. Sam got about an hour of rest before there was a pounding on his door. He was just sitting up in bed as Loki reached the door to answer it. It was sort of strange for Sam to look over and actually watch the transformation as the gentler side of Loki, the quiet part of him that had been willing to write in his little books this whole time Sam was laying here, vanished away and the other side of him came out, the part that was snarky and sassy and showed nothing of what was inside. It made Sam realize just how many shields Loki put up, and strangely enough, how many he’d let fall while he was alone in here with Sam.

“Deanie boy.” Loki greeting him, purring out the nickname that he had to have picked solely to piss dean off. He leaned against the door jamb, not even bothering to open it up far enough for Sam to catch more than a glimpse of his brother.

On the other side of the door came the sound of an annoyed growl that was pure frustrated Dean. “Where’s my brother?”

“Here, Dean.” Sam called out before anyone could say anything else.

He watched the door get pushed open. Dean barged in like he owned the place, shoving his way past Loki with little care. It didn’t escape Sam’s notice how Loki arched his eyebrows over that or the amused way he watched Dean. Behind the hunter, Castiel trailed in as well, a bit more hesitant and a lot less rude.

Dean marched into the room and took in Sam with one quick, assessing look. Whether he was looking for signs of injuries or something else was anyone’s guess. When his eyes reached Sam’s face they narrowed a little bit. “What’s wrong with you?” The blunt words may’ve sounded a bit harsh to anyone else; to Sam, he could hear the concern underneath it and knew his brother well enough to tell that Dean was genuinely worried about him.

A snort came from Loki. The trickster shut the door and then strolled casually back towards the beds. “Oh, _now_ you’re worried?”

Sam shot Loki a warning look that was completely ignored. Loki just walked right up to Sam’s bed and dropped down onto it as if he’d been there this whole time, or like he had a right to be here. The sight made Dean stiffen; it just made Sam roll his eyes. “It’s nothing, Dean. Just a headache. It’s almost gone now, anyways.” Pushing himself up, and away from Loki, he sat his body up straight and tried to ignore the remaining fuzziness that always came at the tail end of a headache. “So, what’s up?”

“Cas thought we should get some grub and pow-wow over what we’re gonna do.” Dean shot a look at Loki as he said that, obviously trying to reign in his scowl. “We’ve got a plan – we need to start figuring out how we’re gonna do it.”

“You’re welcome, by the way.” Loki said, leaning back on his hands.

“For what?” Dean snapped. “Waiting till the last minute to tell us a plan that would’ve come in handy quite a while ago? Yeah, excuse me if I’m not looking to _thank_ you for that.”

“Dean.” The way Castiel said Dean’s name carried an undertone to it of someone who had already had this conversation before and was reminding their partner of it. Sam had said Dean’s name like that enough times to recognize it. It was a warning that they’d already talked about this and to just let it go. Sam could’ve told Castiel it wouldn’t work. Maybe once, Dean might’ve listened to it. Not anymore. Dean had been through too much and it’d changed him. Left him more volatile than he’d once been. He was less likely to calm down over things and more likely to blow up and then escape later on and drown his regrets over the argument in alcohol. It wasn’t that he _wanted_ to fight with everyone – it was just that he had too much anger, too much guilt, all built up in there, and it made his fuse even shorter than it’d once been. And that was saying a lot considering Dean hadn’t exactly been known for patience before.

The way that Loki’s face transformed with a sneer and made his disdain very, very clear left Sam feeling like these headaches were going to start becoming a constant state of being for him. He could feel it threatening to build back up as he watched the two glare at one another. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, little boy.” Loki said in his most condescending tone. “That information didn’t come free and easy. You think the key to the _Cage_ is common knowledge? I had to talk with Death to find that out! If it were something easy, every angel would’ve known and your little pet seraph over there would’ve told you.”

Wait a second – he’d just found out about it? Sam didn’t miss that part of things. That meant that Loki – Gabriel – whoever he’d been at the time, he’d been out there actively looking for something to stop this. He’d been out there trying to help. Even if he hadn’t told them about it until the end, he’d been trying to find a solution for them. For all of them. _One that didn’t involve murdering his brother_. That thought made Sam cringe. Unlike Dean, he’d never really forgotten that asking Gabriel to go up against Lucifer was asking a little brother to fight his big brother. Sam didn’t know if he could take out Dean if they were in this position. How could they ask Gabriel to do it?

The hand nearest Sam’s legs moved just enough that Loki could lift a finger and rub his knuckle up and down a small patch of Sam’s leg. When he looked up, he found Loki watching him and knew that the trickster had heard his thoughts.

“I believe we should focus on our plan, instead of how or when we gained it.” Castiel said suddenly, his deep voice drawing the attention of the room. “What matters is that we have it now and we are aware of what needs to be done. Obtaining the rings of the Horsemen is not going to be easy.”

“We already have War’s and Famine’s.” Sam said. “That just means we need Pestilence and Death, and from the sounds of it I think it’s safe to assume Death might be on board with this whole thing.” He looked over at Loki at that part.

The trickster was watching him with raised eyebrows and a little half smile that seemed almost, impressed. “You already have two rings?” At Sam’s nod, he whistled lowly. “Well color me impressed. You bozos might actually stand a chance!”

“Gee, thanks.” Dean drawled out.

Castiel, however, tilted his head and gave Loki a confused look. “You did not believe that they could do this? Yet you gave them the plan.”

“Winchesters pull off the impossible all the time.” Loki shrugged like it was no big deal. “Besides, you forget yourself here, Cassie boy. _Gabriel’s_ the one that’s built for faith. Me? Not so much. I’m a little more interested in odds.” From his pocket Loki pulled out a sucker and unwrapped it, popping it into his mouth before once more reclining on his hands .His voice still managed to come out sort of smug around the candy. “Odds were pretty shitty before, but they were better than absolutely nothing. Now? With two rings under our belt and a third a shoe-in, I’m suddenly liking these odds a whole lot more.”

“We should call Bobby, see if he’s found anything.” Sam interjected. Someone needed to keep this conversation on track and it looked like it was going to fall to him. Lifting a hand, he pushed his hair back from his face, giving it a little tug to try and clear his head a little. “I can’t imagine tracking Pestilence is going to be all that hard. It’ll be fighting him that’s going to be the difficult part.”

Despite the tension and the obvious way that Dean still wanted to deck the trickster on the bed, for the moment he seemed content to ignore him and focus on Sam. There was a case and that was always good for distracting the both of them. “I’ll give Bobby a call. Maybe we can get him looking into some kind of protection or something, too.”

Loki cleared his throat rather noisily. The sound made a little muscle in Dean’s jaw tic, a feat that Sam might marvel over later. Usually it took him doing a lot to get Dean pissed off enough for that muscle to act like that. Loki seemed to be able to do it by merely existing. For now, Sam turned to look at the trickster, who had managed to do the impossible and actually look even _more_ smug than before. “Wouldn’t it be great if you had someone you could ask for help here? Someone who might, I don’t know, be able to make a few calls and track down your big bad, maybe even offer up a bit of protection from it?”

Even just the suggestion was enough to make Dean snarl. “Like we’re taking anymore favors from you!”

“Deano!” One hand came up, folding over Loki’s chest. “I’m hurt!”

Lip curling up in disgust, Dean scoffed. “Yeah, right. We’ve played your game already; we’re not doing it again. Who knows what you’ll charge next.”

“Relax. I’m not after your soul or anything like that, kiddo.” Pausing, Loki gave a shudder that might’ve been fake or might’ve been real. It was kind of hard to tell with him. “Why would I want yours, anyways? Half claimed and full of all that Righteousness. Ew. An I’ve already got my claim on Sammy’s soul over here. No, no, my price is much simpler this time.” He turned his head towards Sam and the grin he wore promised nothing good. Sam leaned back instinctively, not quite sure what Loki was about to say but completely sure that he didn’t want to hear it right now. Especially not in front of his brother.

What came out was a whole lot more tame than expected. “Just a kiss. One kiss, to be called in whenever or wherever I want.”

That was it? One single kiss? Sam furrowed down his brows and looked carefully at Loki’s face. He heard his brother protesting loudly and ignored it. He knew that was probably going to piss Dean off but, well, when wasn’t he mad at Sam lately? It wasn’t like it was going to be anything new. One more thing to piss him off would barely be noticed amidst the rest of it. Besides, if it got them the location of Pestilence as well as protection against him, could they really be squeamish about things? “Nothing else?”

“Not a demon here, Samwise. It’d be nothing more than a kiss.”

“Sam!” Dean snapped.

Sam continued to ignore him. He watched Loki’s face and tried to read the look there. It was a lot harder like this. There wasn’t really anything of the archangel that Sam had seen into when they’d had Gabriel trapped in the holy fire. Nor was there a hint of the softer being that had been in here with Sam before Dean and Castiel had come back. Loki was smirking at him around the stem of his sucker, chin tilted up and his head back just enough that it kept his hair from his face, leaving it loose and slightly disheveled. His eyes had that darker light to them, with a twinkle that Sam was beginning to recognize as trouble. Everything about him said that Sam shouldn’t trust him. Yet, all he could think about in that moment was the way that Loki had looked at him so openly before when there’d been no one around to see, the way that he’d sounded when he told Sam that he’d take care of him.

He never broke eye contact as he held his hand out to Loki. “Deal.”

The light in the trickster’s eyes flashed brighter than ever. He took Sam’s hand and gave it a squeeze that just hinted to the actual strength hidden underneath the startlingly soft skin.


	6. Chapter 6

It was kind of surprising when Loki kicked both Dean and Castiel out of the room. Apparently things were done in his eyes and he saw no reason to prolong their conversation. “We all know what we’re gonna do. You can go have your talk with Singer behind Sam’s back, just like you were gonna do anyways. We’ll meet up again in the morning for breakfast.”

“Who the hell put you in charge?” Dean demanded.

“Right now?” Loki raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Me. This is mine and Sam’s room, which you so _kindly_ gave us. I don’t feel like sitting in it and listening to you bitch for the next hour or two until you’ve let out all that crankiness on us. Go to your own room and bitch in there if you really have to. I’m sure Cassie won’t mind listening to it.”

Sam resisted the urge to groan – loudly. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed, just a little. Being between the two of them was not going to be a fun experience. “There’s not much else we can do tonight, Dean.” He said, cutting into whatever else might’ve been said. “It’s late and it’s been a long day. We’re tired. Why don’t’ we sleep and regroup tomorrow?” It wasn’t an unreasonable request. Sure, Loki had been a dick about how he said it, but that just seemed par for the course. Sam ignored the little nudge his leg got that told him Loki had heard that thought.

A scowl twisted Dean’s features and his brother glared at him in a way he never had before everything – _before Ruby_ , he mentally corrected. “I thought some things were changing. Guess not.” Dean’s lip curled up with disgust. He flashed a look to Loki and then back to Sam, and it was like a fist to Sam’s gut. He knew exactly what Dean meant by that; what he meant with that glare. As clear as if his brother was saying it he could hear the ‘ _Still choosing monsters over family’_ that echoed underneath his words. It made the younger hunter flinch and had him quickly pulling on the mask that let nothing show through. No need to let his brother see how much that hurt. Dean had meant the words to be sharp. Ruby’s betrayal and Sam’s stupidity was something that wasn’t going to be forgotten easily.

The hairs on Sam’s arms stood up as the very air around them seemed to turn electric. There was the feel of something heavy in the pit of his stomach. When he looked up, he found that Loki hadn’t moved and yet somehow the trickster looked furious and dangerous. “Get him out of here, Castiel.” There was an air of command to those words, like someone who knew their words would be okay.

The next second Castiel grabbed Dean and the two vanished from the room.

Smothering another sigh, Sam closed his eyes. “Was all that really necessary?”

The feel of power around the trickster faded and the angry light left his eyes. When he looked at him, Loki didn’t even bother looking repentant. In fact, he smirked. “Yes. You need food and sleep, not the bullshit your brother likes to spew on you.”

“He’s my brother, Loki.”

“He’s a pissed off, broken little hunter who spent way too long in hell an whose been dicked around ever since he got back topside. He throws his shit on you cause you’re the only person he knows he can vent to safely – who he knows won’t bail on him, no matter how shitty he gets – an you take it cause you’re his baby brother, you love him, and the stupidly human part of your self-sacrificing head thinks you deserve it. But none of that means that _I_ have to listen to him dump shit on you.” Loki pushed up off the bed, acting like nothing he had said was any sort of big deal at all. “Now, what do you say we order pizza an find something to watch, _älskling_. I’m in the mood for a little mindless movie watching. Something with a laugh.”

As he watched the trickster make his way over to the couch, pulling a phone out of thin air and still rambling on about movie choices, Sam found himself shaking his head. “We’re going to have to talk about this at some point.” He called after Loki.

Dropping down onto the couch, Loki turned his head and flashed a grin Sam’s way. “True. But not tonight.”

“No,” Sam agreed softly. “Not tonight.”

* * *

Having the trickster as a roommate was a lot easier than Sam had thought it would be. If he’d ever given it any thought – which he _hadn’t_ , thank you very much – he would’ve figured that Loki would be almost as much of a pain to share a room with as Dean was. More, maybe, considering that Dean liked practical jokes but Loki was the freaking _trickster_. But they’d sat down to watch some Adam Sandler movies and they’d eaten pizza, with only minimal teasing from Loki about Sam’s ‘disgusting vegetable pizza’, and Sam could remember almost falling asleep on the couch, yet he woke up in his bed. Not just in his bed, but without anything strange like colored hair or pictures drawn on his face or any of the million things that Dean would’ve done if Sam passed out on him.

It was the sound of Dean pounding on the door that woke Sam from his sleep. When he dragged himself up out of bed, pointedly ignoring the trickster lounging in the other bed, he was greeted at the door with one pissed off looking brother who simply announced “Get your shit and get outside in ten – we’re heading to Bobby’s.” It wasn’t a request, either, which was made clear by the way Dean simply turned and walked away – another thing that didn’t surprise him. Things might’ve been getting better between the boys and they might’ve been working on repairing their relationship; that didn’t mean that all was forgiven or forgotten. Sam’s judgment had proved faulty one too many times. His opinion on a lot of things didn’t hold weight anymore. Their ship was being steered by one captain and Sam didn’t rank high enough to even think about arguing it.

What _was_ surprising, however, was the fact that Sam had been asleep right up until Dean had knocked. Not just asleep, but deeply, _peacefully_ asleep. He’d slept almost the entire night through without a single nightmare waking him up or Lucifer coming in to bother him. Not only that, he’d done it all with the trickster right there in the room with him. Loki was just lounging there on the bed watching Sam as he came back in, amused by the dark look that the hunter gave him.

“Mornin’, sunshine!”

The cheerful greeting made Sam want to both scowl and shake his head. Somehow, he found himself fighting back the urge to _smile_ instead. Despite his brother’s ten minute warning, Sam took a second to stand there and look at Loki.

The god didn’t even flinch. He was on his side, facing Sam, his head propped up on one hand, and he simply stared right back at him. Looking at him, Sam couldn’t stop himself from saying “You stayed.” There was an incredulousness in his voice that he couldn’t stop.

Loki’s mouth curved up at the corner in a smirk that was just a bit less sharp than normal. A bit, friendlier. Like he was still laughing at Sam but also like Sam was in on the joke with him. “I told you, I’m not leaving you alone. Bad things happen when you’re alone, kiddo.”

There was plenty Sam could say to that. He couldn’t deny it, though. There was plenty of truth to that statement. But the fact that Loki had stayed, and that Sam had actually had the best night’s sleep he’d had in a long time… Sam couldn’t just let it go even if he knew he probably should. “Did you…?” With one hand he vaguely gestured towards his head, not quite able to put it into words.

The gesture seemed to amuse Loki even more. “Of course I did.” Rolling his eyes, he gave Sam a look full of good humor and mock pity. “I thought you were the smart one. Did you really think I was going to sit back and let your brain torture you? Or Luci?” He scoffed. “That old windbag won’t get in with me right here in the room, Sambo.”

That thought was both comforting and worrying. Lucifer was an _archangel_ , and while Loki could technically be considered one as well, he was one who didn’t have but a sliver of grace and who had already gone up against Lucifer and lost, proving just who was stronger. So how on earth was it that Loki’s mere presence was enough to keep Lucifer at bay?

This time the sound that Loki made was more of a snort. “Always with the doubt, _älskling_. Lucifer might be stronger than me in a fight, but in your head I have the upper hand. My claim on you gives me more power in there. Between that and your desire to keep him out, he won’t be able to break past the shields I put up. So long as I’m close enough, we’ll be just fine.”

For a little bit Sam just stood there and let all of that sink in. There was no denying that a giant part of him leapt with joy at the idea that simply having Loki in the room with him would help to keep Lucifer out. To be able to sleep safely, without fear, was a luxury Sam had been so sure he was going to go without for a long time. Sometimes it felt like he’d been tired and on edge for what seemed like forever. Yet here he was, a full night’s rest, and feeling almost human again. It was amazing.

“Might wanna ponder it all a bit later, kiddo.” Loki said, drawing Sam back out of his thoughts. He made a show of checking a wrist that held no watch. “You’ve got about five and a half minutes before big brother’s back banging on our door again.”

Sam made his deadline – with a little help. When he came out of the bathroom his bag was waiting on his bed. All he had to do was stuff his dirty clothes inside and pick it up. Loki watched him from where he was now lounging against the wall and he grinned in a way that wasn’t all that reassuring. “All right, kiddo, let’s get this show on the road! It’s a long drive to Singer’s, isn’t it?”

“I’m suddenly a lot more nervous about this.” Sam said flatly.

Loki let out a laugh that promised trouble. “There’s those smarts of yours again. I was wondering where they’d gone.” Grinning wide, he snapped his fingers and the door swung open, revealing that Dean was there with his hand raised like he’d been about to pound on the door again. The startled look he wore was just a bit satisfying to Sam in a purely little brother way.

Recovering himself, Dean looked them both over and scowled. “Let’s go, Sammy. We’re wasting daylight.”

Shoving down his grin and smothering a sigh, Sam picked up his bag and followed Dean out of the room.

They encountered their first bump in the road when they all tried to load up in the car. Sam made as if to go to his usual seat, only for Dean to hold a hand out in a gesture that meant ‘stop’. “Oh, no.” He told Sam as soon as his younger brother looked at him. “You’re the one that made your stupid deal with the idiot. He’s here for _you_ – that means _you_ get to ride in back with him.”

Ride in back? Sam gaped at him. He couldn’t be serious. “Dean, I don’t fit back there, you know that.” He hadn’t since he was a teen!

“I don’t care. He’s your problem, Sammy. You get to deal with him.”

That was how Sam ended up squished into the backseat of the Impala while Castiel took his spot riding shotgun. Sam tried not to let that hurt as much as it did. The angel wasn’t replacing him, he had to remind himself. Dean was just pissed off that Loki was here, probably pissed that Sam hadn’t fought it more, and definitely pissed about their ‘deal’ last night, and this was his way of making sure they all knew it. Sam just wished he didn’t have to suffer hours cramped up in the back of the car because of it. The seats weren’t exactly made for someone above average height.

Loki didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the idea. In fact, he looked thrilled to have Sam back there with him. “It’ll be fun!”

“Fun.” Sam deadpanned. Yeah, _that_ was the word he’d pick.

The second bump they encountered happened when Dean did exactly what Sam knew he would and he simply headed straight out. It wasn’t at all surprising that he didn’t stop off anywhere. He and Castiel had probably already gone out for breakfast and talked privately where they’d hope that Loki wouldn’t be listening in. Stopping off to eat or for coffee wasn’t exactly on Dean’s agenda now. The food, Sam could do without. The coffee however was something he desperately wanted. He didn’t say anything, though. Right now he knew it was best not to push Dean too much.

It was Loki who had a problem with it. He also wasn’t the least bit afraid of voicing it. “Hey,” The god knocked his arm against Dean’s seat and arched his eyebrow, catching Dean’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “You think maybe the rest of us might like a chance to stop and eat?”

“That’s what you get for sleeping in. We’ll eat when we get there.” Dean announced. His tone was the same one that John had used to get that made it clear he wasn’t arguing it. Hearing it was enough to have Sam hunching down a little more in his cramped seat and dropping his gaze down to his pants. Temper pulsed briefly before he shoved it back down. He didn’t have a right to get angry here. Dean was just being Dean. Besides, Sam rarely ate anyways. He could survive until they got to Bobby’s place.

Unfortunately for Dean, that kind of tone had no effect whatsoever on Loki. The trickster snorted and promptly snapped his fingers.

A tray appeared on the seat between them with delicious looking open sandwiches, some with meat and cheese and others with fruit, and a big to-go mug that smelled like it had coffee inside of it.

Luckily, Loki’s powers seemed to be holding it all in place, which proved to be a good plan when the car swerved and Dean started cursing.

“Dude! What did I tell you?” Dean growled out as he straightened the car. Beside him, Castiel had turned to look back at them. “No snapping stuff up in the car!”

A snort slipped from Loki and Sam watched as the trickster rolled his eyes. “You might be content to watch your brother attempt to starve himself. I’m not.” That was all the thought he spared for Dean. When he looked at Sam, he smiled in a much gentler way, something that still seemed so odd. “Eat up, kiddo. Your body needs it.” Gentle smile or not, those words held a note of command to them, even if it wasn’t as harsh as Sam knew it could be.

The young hunter fought of a flush that he knew would only delight Loki.

Up front, Dean was growling again, most likely ready to say something else, something rather nasty if Sam knew his brother at all. But all it took was a low “Dean,” from Castiel to get him to stand down. There was a wealth of other things said in the simple use of Dean’s name. Whatever was in there, Sam didn’t know, but Dean obviously did. He snapped his jaws shut with an audible click and focused back out on the road.

That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the trip. It was quiet, cramped, and beyond uncomfortable. By the time they got to Bobby’s place, Sam was more than ready to get the hell out of the car.

Really, he should’ve realized that arriving here wasn’t going to make anything better.

Bobby greeted them easily enough on the porch. He was his usual grumbling self, glaring at them as they got up to him. “What’d you do, break every speed limit on the way?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bobby.” Dean’s voice was as innocent as he could make it – which really wasn’t all that much – but his grin gave him away.

Sam didn’t notice that there was anything amiss. The only thing that seemed strange was the way that bobby wouldn’t even look over at Loki. Then again, that could’ve just been his way of handling it at the moment. Sam was under no illusions that Dean hadn’t told Bobby everything. If he chose to ignore Loki instead of lashing out at him it was fine by Sam. Easier to deal with, at least for now.

When had anything ever been that easy?

Just as Sam was about to step up onto the porch, he felt a firm hand curl over his arm, stopping him in place. He knew even before he turned that it was going to be Loki standing there. What he hadn’t expected was the harsh, mocking look that was covering the trickster’s face. His lips were curved up on one side in a sneer and his eyes were narrowed on Bobby. “Singer, Singer, Singer. For shame.” Still holding Sam’s arm, Loki pulled him back a little until the god could step in front of him. What the hell was going on here?

Sam didn’t even have to voice his question. The trickster stayed in front of Sam, even going so far as to lean back against him and drop his hand down to clutch at Sam’s thigh instead of his arm like they were some sort of couple standing there, not like he was an all-powerful being who was literally holding Sam in place. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the altered wards? Really? Just what kind of trickster do you think I am?”

Altered wards? Sam’s eyes snapped up to fix on Bobby, who had on the poker face that clearly told Sam that Loki was right. Bobby had altered the wards. After a second, Sam’s gaze shifted, eyes narrowing on his brother. Because, really, there was no one else that would’ve demanded this. Sam was pretty sure that Bobby might’ve at least attempted to listen if Sam had asked him. Changing wards to keep Loki out was something that Dean would do, though. It was exactly like him to ask – demand – Bobby change them, and then try to get Sam inside before Loki could realize. Apparently he hadn’t figured on Loki being so damn smart.

“We wanted to talk to Sam, away from _your_ influence.” Dean answered for them all, moving to stand beside Bobby’s chair. He was glaring down at Loki without any hesitance or fear – he was probably inside the warded area and figured he was safe.

Hearing Dean’s words made Sam flinch again. Did Dean really believe he was under some kind of influence here? That he wouldn’t recognize something working against him? Even before Ruby, before he’d put all that demon blood in his body and _changed_ himself, there’d been a part of Sam that was sensitive to the magic and power around him. Of course, they knew now it was because of Azazel’s blood. But it wasn’t something that had gone away. In fact, it was stronger than ever. Sam was confident he would’ve felt _something_ if Loki was trying to use power on him. Hell, he felt it when the trickster used his power for something as simple as snapping up a candy bar!

Temper had Sam standing up straight and forgetting entirely about pulling away from Loki’s hold. “He’s not influencing me, Dean.”

“An how would you know, huh?” Dean snapped. “It’s not like you’re the best judge of this shit, Sammy.”

Those words hurt, just as they were meant to. That hurt sharpened Sam’s words even more. “Every time I disagree with you doesn’t automatically mean I’m being influenced by someone else.”

“You sure about that?”

Anything more was cut off by a sharp “Enough!” from Bobby that silence everyone. It was a good thing, too, because Sam was livid and Loki didn’t seem much better. The body in front of Sam’s was tense despite the laid back appearance. There was threat and magic all over him in a palpable aura.

“That’s enough.” Bobby repeated, his voice just as sharp as before. “We aint here to fight on my front porch. I’m gonna crack those extra wards you stupidly told me to put up an then we’re gonna get inside and discuss this like civilized folk instead of tearing each other to shreds on my front porch. Anyone’s got a problem with that, they can get on out of here right now.” With no more than that, the older hunter turned around and wheeled himself inside, narrowly missing running over Dean’s toes as he went.

There was a moment of quiet and then Sam felt some of the tension in Loki fade away. It was replaced by humor. Turning his head, Loki looked back and up at Sam, smirking. “I like him. He’s smart, for a human.”

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with your praise.”

Loki’s grin grew. “You’re getting sassier. I like it.” He pulled himself away from Sam, only to grab hold of his hand and lace their fingers together. “C’mon, kiddo. Let’s go inside an have some fun.”

The idea of going into Bobby’s house with a chaos god who wanted to have some fun sounded like a recipe for disaster. Sam sighed and shook his head. Then he followed the tugging on his hand and headed inside.


	7. Chapter 7

After the reception they’d received when they arrived, it was no wonder that Loki absolutely refused to leave Sam once they got inside. Sam honestly couldn’t even protest it. Loki seemed to have made it his personal mission to keep Sam safe and the people here had tried to stop him from doing that.

When Dean looked at them and glared deliberately at the way that Loki and Sam’s fingers were threaded together, Sam glared right back at him and dared him to argue. Dean had tried to get Loki warded out of the house. The lack of trust that showed was bad enough - Sam doubted that Dean had thought of the ramifications of locking Loki out. Because Sam had a feeling that Loki wouldn’t have been content with just waiting outside until they let him in.

“Nope.” Loki said cheerfully. He was grinning as Sam led him to the couch and the two sank down onto it side by side. Reaching out with his free hand, Loki ruffled Sam’s hair, laughing when it earned him one of Sam’s glares. “You think I’d let you go anywhere without me? Look at the kind of trouble you get into on your own. I’m not sweeping in last minute to save your ass again. I don’t have time for another do-over.”

“What kind of trouble do you think I’m going to get into at Bobby’s?”

“With you, gorgeous? There’s no telling.”

“Seriously? Again? I’m gonna be sick if I gotta keep listening to this.” Dean drawled out, dropping himself back to lean against the wall by the bookcase, far enough away from Sam while still being in the same room. He gave his brother the most disgusted look he could muster. “You think you two can quit your little flirty games long enough to actually get in here and handle business?”

It took everything Sam had to hold his tongue at that. Fighting with Dean wasn't something he wanted to do. Not when things were still sort of shaky between them and Sam already felt on edge and annoyed. He hated being like this with his brother. Hated that, once, before Ruby, before Hell, his brother might've said something like that and Sam would've been safe to snark back. Now he didn't dare risk it and ruin whatever shaky truce they had going on.

He should've realized that Loki wouldn't hold any such worries. “Unlike you and McCreepy over there, we can flirt and still manage to get our work done.”

That definitely got Dean's attention. He shoved off the wall and straightened himself up as if somehow that was going to intimidate the trickster. Castiel stepped forward from where he'd been silently watching and he put a hand on Dean's shoulder, keeping him in place. IT didn't restrain his mouth, though. “What the hell are you talking about?” Dean demanded.

“Would you boys quit it?” Bobby snapped. His chair was parked right by his desk and it put him right between the two parties. That hadn't ever stopped the older hunter before, though. He was well used to striding right between Sam and Dean and forcing them apart. Even if it meant grabbing their collars and yanking them apart. He couldn’t do that right now, but his glare hadn't lost any of its potency and it silenced both Winchesters. “I told you before we aint gonna play these games. We're in here to talk, so unless you got something important to say – shut up!”

Sam slumped down a little in his seat and Dean once more leaned back to slump against the wall.

A sound of amusement bubbled up from Loki. “Nice trick, old man.”

“That goes for you too, trickster.” Bobby shot back at him. He lifted a hand and pointed a finger right at Loki. “You're in my house, you'll show some damn respect, or those wards are gonna go right back up.”

Laughing delightedly, Loki raised his hands in a sign of peace and then slumped back into his seat.

Bobby gave a satisfied nod. He settled his hands down into his lap and watched Loki for a moment. Loki watched him back just as openly. The whole room seemed to kind of hold its breath as the two squared off with one another. Finally, Bobby spoke up. “So, you're just a regular trickster now, huh?”

“Nope.” Loki answered easily, making the word pop a little at the end.

“Wait, what?” Dean asked. He and Sam both were looking at Loki now. “What’re you talking about? That's what you said before!”

Loki pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and smiled at them. “I said no. I’m _a_ trickster, yes, but not in the sense you’re using it.” Smirking, Loki twirled his candy bar between his fingers. Then he took a bite off the end before turning it to point at them. “You’re messing up an important word in there. I’m not _a_ trickster – I’m _the_ trickster.”

The scholar in Sam sat up at attention when he heard that.  He’d always loved learning things, no matter what. This was no different. “So, you’re the only one out there?”

Loki shook his head, but he flashed a smile at Sam. “Nope.”

“Would you quit playing games and just tell us already?” Dean snapped.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Deano?” His grin suddenly turned sharp and predatory, a hint of teeth showing in the usually toothless grin, giving a feral and dangerous look. “I _made_ them. They’re mine, my little tricksters.”

Holy shit. Sam stared at Loki and knew that his eyes were wide. Just as he could easily see how Loki was preening under all that attention. But… he couldn’t believe it. Loki had _made_ tricksters?

Bobby echoed Sam’s thoughts, voicing an incredulous “You _made_ them?”

“Wasn’t hard. Took a few humans who wanted to be turned, did a little magic, and voila! Tricksters! They’ve got my sweet tooth somehow, just magnified, and I put a bit of the archangelic need for justice in there. You’ll notice, the only dicks that actually _die_ under a trickster are the ones who can’t be saved.” Pausing, he shrugged a shoulder and sneered a little. “That was a bit of Gabriel seeping in. Didn’t want everyone to die, just those that truly deserved it. But mostly, they really just like to cause mischief.” At their incredulous looks, Loki arched an eyebrow. “What? C’mon, it can’t be that surprising!” He twisted the hand that held his candy bar and swirled it around his face. “Hello! Loki, Norse god of mischief here.  Count yourself lucky the part of me that was Gabriel tempered these guys! They could’ve come out a whole lot more trouble.”

Castiel spoke up next, and his question surprised them all. “Will they help us?”

The hunters all looked over at Castiel, surprised. They hadn't even thought of that. Then they turned their focus back to Loki. Even more surprising, the trickster wasn't dismissing the question outright. He looked like he was actually thinking about it.

After a long pause, Loki shrugged. “Maybe. Depends on what we want em to do. Like I said, they like mischief and chaos. If they can cause a little bit of that, they'll be all in for this. But they're not gonna stand a chance up against Luci. In a battle, they'd lose. He could destroy them with a *thought*.”

“We wouldn't need them to fight.” Sam said. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. “At least, not head on. But, I mean, even if we get all the rings to open up the Cage again, figuring out how to get Lucifer back in there isn't going to be easy. Having a group of tricksters on our side might help us figure out a way to actually manage to trick him back in there.”

“It’s definitely worth thinking about.” Loki hummed thoughtfully. “I like it. I mean, Luci's not going to fall for just any old trick, I can promise you that. But if we use them and their tricks as distractions, it might make it easier for us to trick him back in.” A slow grin started to build on Loki's face. “Oh, yeah. That might definitely help. I'm liking this.” He turned that grin towards Sam and gave him appreciative look. “I like the way you think here, kiddo. You're sneaky.” Somehow he made that come out sounding like a good thing.

Bobby snorted and shook his head at them, but didn't comment on that last bit. Instead he stayed focused on the plan they were building. “So we got tricksters on our side as a distraction. Still doesn't help us figure out how to trap the devil. An it don't help us get the last of the rings, either. We can plan all we want but it aint worth anything if we don't have the rings to do it with. That means we gotta actually find them.”

“Short stack over here seems to think that won't be a problem.” Dean said, gesturing at Loki with his thumb.

“I told you I'll get him, bucko.” Loki said blandly. Then he smirked. “For fighting what's supposed to be Heaven's side, you hunters sure have such little faith.”

Three snorts echoed in the room. “Faith aint gotten us nowhere.” Bobby said. Dean nodded his agreement and added “it's got us nothing but trouble. We live on proof here, not faith.”

“How will you get us Pestilence, brother?” Castiel asked him. His voice was low and almost respectful sounding. Out of them all, Castiel seemed to understand the most just who Loki was, both sides of him, and what kind of respect he was due. It was strange to see. “Will you hunt him down?”

This time it was Loki who made a sound that was kind of like a snort. Whatever the sound was, it was full of derision. “You think I'm just gonna leave you bozos alone? Especially after you tried to ward me out of here? Yeah, right.”

Sam watched as Loki pulled his phone out and scrolled through before picking a number. Lounging back on the couch, Loki slung one arm behind Sam so that his fingers could go immediately to the bottom of Sam’s hair, and he adopted a pose that was both casual and arrogant - once more, the king on his throne. The next second a grin flashed over his face. “Asclepius!” What came next was a language that took Sam a moment to place as Greek. Loki was sitting there speaking Greek with… it took a little longer for Sam to place where he’d heard that name before. When he did, he looked up and caught Bobby’s eye, seeing that the older man had realized the same exact thing Sam had. Loki was speaking with Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. A god whose daughters were all associated with some form or another of healing. Essentially, the perfect person to speak to when going against a being like Pestilence.

The little squeeze that Loki gave to the back of Sam’s neck before he went back to playing with his hair showed he’d heard and approved of Sam’s train of thought.

It only took a few minutes before Loki wrapped up his call. When he hung up, he stretched his arms up above his head and then slouched down into the couch so much that it almost looked like he melted there. Everyone watched him as he relaxed himself on the couch. Somehow, he made that ratty old couch look like it was a chair fit for a king. All he needed to complete the image was something fanning him and someone coming up and feeding him grapes.

Even as he had the thought, Sam narrowed his eyes and glared at Loki, daring him to pick up on that thought and make it true. There was no way he wanted to find a bunch of grapes snapped up into his hand.

He got a grin and wink in return, but thankfully no snap.

The quiet stretched over the room a moment longer and Sam had to resist rolling his eyes. Was this really what his life was going to be like for the next little while? Loki was doing this deliberately, he knew. He was drawing it out simply for his own sense of amusement. For some reason he really seemed to like riling Dean up.

“Loki.” Sam drawled his name out, pouring in warning and exasperation both into that single word.

Dark golden eyes moved over to Sam, heavy with amusement, and Sam very much did not suck in a breath at the sight of them. They were stunning, with that gold darker than normal and with what looked to be green flecks through them. They were dark and heavy and full of humor, a perfect match for the lazy tone with which Loki spoke. “Yes, gorgeous?”

Sam tried not to flush at the compliment. He cleared his throat and tried to make his voice sound steady. The best way to handle Loki so far seemed to meet him on his level, keep him on his toes. To challenge him. Sam could do that. He’d been challenging things bigger and stronger than him his whole life. “We all get it, you’re very impressive calling up ancient Greek gods for help. Consider us suitably impressed. Now, can you tell us what your friend said?”

It warmed something inside of Sam to watch as Loki tipped his head back and let out a husky laugh. His grin was brighter and sharper when he looked at Sam again. “I knew I picked right. You’re gonna keep me on my toes, aren’t you? Thor always said I needed someone to keep me from going too far.” Eyes sparkling with mirth, he tilted his head to the side. “You gonna keep me in line, sugar?” The way he said it combined with the wiggle of his eyebrows had Sam losing his fight against his blush.

“ _I’m_ gonna get out my shotgun in a minute.” Bobby input in a dry voice.

Another laugh tumbled from Loki. He turned back towards the room and shook his head at them all. “You mortals, always so impatient. No sense of theatrics at all.” He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. “ _Fine_. Lepi said he’d get back to me as soon as he knows something. He’s gonna check with his daughters and look around, see what he can find. If anyone can sense Pestilence, it’ll be them. While we wait, we should probably start thinking of a plan on how to take him down. One that _doesn’t_ involve my Sammy getting killed, hm?”

* * *

Their planning session went about as well as Sam had expected it to go. Sam collapsed down onto the bed he always used at Bobby’s house and he sighed gustily as he stared up at the ceiling. His head was _still_ aching from listening to everything. When Bobby had finally had enough and snapped at them to separate and pick it up later, or tomorrow even, neither brother had protested. Dean had stormed outside and Sam had come upstairs in the hopes of getting a bit of peace and quiet. Something he’d definitely been lacking down there.

Any scenario that involved Loki and Dean to spend any real amount of time together, and actually converse somewhat, seemed to just spell out disaster. Their personalities were too strong and clashed way too much. They were just… they were too much alike in a lot of ways. Maybe that was why they didn’t get along together. They were so much alike they were doomed to either get along famously or hate one another. It was easy to see which route they’d both chosen to go.

“It has nothing to do with our personalities, actually.” Loki said, his voice coming suddenly from somewhere off to Sam’s left. “An everything to do with the fact that I don’t like assholes, or people who treat what’s mine like shit.”

Sam didn’t even startle at Loki’s sudden appearance. Maybe he was getting used to it already. Whatever it was, he didn’t even turn his gaze away from the ceiling as he reflexively said “I’m not a possession, Loki.” Then he sighed and let his eyes close. “And Dean has every right to be pissed off with me. We’re doing a lot better than we were before and I’m grateful that he trusts me more than he did when we first got back to hunting together. I screwed up – big time. I’m lucky he forgave me at all.”

“Oh, _please_.” The words were sharp and heavy with sarcasm. Sam felt the bed shift and knew that Loki had moved closer somehow. “You sound like a domestic violence case here, Sammo. _It’s my fault, not his. I made him angry. It’s my fault he hits me and beats the crap out of me._ Get over yourself. You made mistakes, but you’re fixing them. _We’re_ fixing them. I’d like to see your brother do the same if he were in your shoes.” Loki’s voice got closer and a firm hand settled in the middle of Sam’s chest. When the hunter opened his eyes, he found Loki propped up on one hand right beside him, staring down at him. His head was blocking the light and it made his face darker, shielded by the hair that hung loosely around it, which in turn made his eyes seem to glow even brighter. They were like the flame of a torch, dancing and flickering and _wild_. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that, _especially_ by the likes of the self-righteous man downstairs, an one of these days I’m gonna damn well make sure you _believe_ that.”

A soft breath shuddered its way out of Sam’s chest and past trembling lips. There was a part of him deep down inside that felt like it was stretching upwards, reaching out for the power he could see in Loki’s eyes, wanting nothing more than to dive into those flames until they consumed him.

The fire in Loki’s eyes flashed brighter just seconds before he started to move. Sam knew what was coming and didn’t bother pulling away from it. He tilted his face up as best as he could with the hand still pinning him down and he met in a kiss that was so much gentler than he’d anticipated.

When Sam had pictured it, he’d always thought a kiss between them would be hard and fast, a battle of wills between two strong personalities. One he knew he’d lose; he stood no chance against a pagan god. But he’d always imagined it as heat meeting heat, a fight from start to finish. This was nothing like that. Loki’s kiss was a warm, steady pressure, a teasing press of lips that deepened into more until Sam was drowning in it. He felt a tongue press against his lips and opened eagerly, willingly, offering himself up to the being above him who groaned and took everything that Sam gave him.

When they broke apart, the both of them were panting. Sam felt slightly proud as he saw the usually unruffled god actually sucking in air that he didn’t need. His eyes were a bit more wild than before and held a hint of something that left Sam feeling like _he_ was the one being worshiped here.

“Oh, sweetheart, you _are_.” Loki bent down, brushing his lips over Sam’s again, trailing them down to tease along the stubble on his jaw. “I’d love to worship every single glorious inch of you like the god you should be.”

Sam’s breathing hitched and he unconsciously tilted his head up to give Loki better access to his throat. “I-I’m not…”

Sharp teeth against the skin of his throat cut off his voice. He felt Loki chuckle against him. “You are, Sammy. I can just see you, sitting on a chair by my side, or in my chair with me, as our worshipers come in with their offerings, begging for a favor. I can see you in my chambers, stretched out on a bed of furs, all this,” He licked a stripe across Sam’s adams apple. “delicious skin on display, slick with sweat. You’d be divine, _älskling_. I’d show you the true meaning of worship then.” His nose nudged along Sam’s jawline before his lips took its place, tongue rasping against Sam’s stubble. “When this is all over, I’ll take you there, our own little vacation, you and I. How’s that sound, my little _stjarna_?”

It sounded glorious. It sounded amazing and wonderful and just… Sam drew in a shaky breath. _Too much_. Between Loki’s lips and his words, Sam felt like a bowstring ready to snap, and he wasn’t sure what would happen when he did. He didn’t know if he’d run or if he’d jump on him. The aching length trapped behind his jeans made the second option rather likely. But the first option was the smarter one.

Loki drew back just enough to stare down at Sam’s face. After a second, he blinked and his eyes cleared slightly. “Too soon?”

“Too soon.” Sam croaked. Way too soon. They’d barely had Loki back with them and Sam didn’t know what to think or what to do. He wanted – oh _God_ , he wanted. But the things he wanted usually ended up being the wrong things.

There was a brief moment where the two of them just stared. Then Loki drew back; not just away from Sam, but up to the head of the bed. However, he didn’t leave like Sam worried for a moment that he would. Instead he settled down against the headboard and folded his hands behind his head. His eyes ran the length of Sam’s body and he smirked. “Unless you want me to pick up where I left off, I suggest you go grab a shower or something, Sam. Because you’re rather tempting right now and I’m not one known for resisting temptation.”

Never before had Sam ever scrambled up from a bed quicker. His cheeks heated when he saw that Loki was grinning at him. “I’ll just, ah… I mean, I just…” Sam gestured vaguely towards the door and then gave up entirely on trying to speak and just turned to head for the door.

He pulled it open and made to step out, almost crashing right into his brother. At the same time he heard Loki call out behind him “I look forward to your offering, _älskling._ They’re always so – sweet.”

Sam’s cheeks were bright red as he rushed away from his door, the sounds of Dean’s groan and Loki’s laughter following behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam was going to go insane. Completely and utterly insane. They were going to have to take him away and put him in a little padded room. That was the conclusion Sam came to after four days spent trapped in Bobby’s house with Bobby, Dean, occasionally Castiel – who mostly was gone off hunting for God – and freaking Loki. The younger hunter had already learned that putting Dean and Loki together was a bad combination. Just the short time that Loki had been with them had taught him that. But this? This was even worse. This was _torture_. If the two weren’t bickering with one another or throwing out sarcastic remarks intent on pissing the other one off, they were both doing their best to stake some sort of claim over Sam while simultaneously trying to fight the other one off. It left Sam feeling like the proverbial bone between two dogs.

 _Not a bone,_ he thought to himself as he stalked outside on their fifth day at Bobby’s. Dean saw him more as…a pup, to continue the dog analogy. He saw Sam as a pup - as _his_ pup. One that was too young and too stupid to be let out on its own.  While Loki - well, there wasn’t any real doubt as to what Loki saw him as. The trickster wasn’t all that shy about making it known. Nor was he shy about leaning in to steal a kiss now and again after that little performance in the bedroom their first day at Bobby’s. In all honesty, Sam found himself enjoying it. Enjoying the attention and the way that Loki made him feel. He knew how he felt about the trickster/archangel. Learning how he felt about Loki - just Loki - was something that, at any other time, would’ve been a fun experience. The apocalypse made it not quite as easy - Dean made it worse.

Anytime that Loki got anywhere near Sam, the older Winchester got upset about it. If he happened to see them kiss, which Loki made damn sure he did, Dean would shout or growl or start to threaten him.

This, though, this apparently took the cake for Dean. This morning reached his limit.

It’d started out simple enough. Sam woke up the same way he had every morning lately, to find himself curled up in bed, the sheets still warm, and Loki stretched out beside him as if they hadn’t been cuddling only moments before. The trickster was always propped up on pillows with a book like he was pretending he’d been reading there all night long. Sam knew better and he was pretty sure that Loki knew that he knew. No matter who was in bed with him, Sam had always been a cuddlier, wrapping himself tightly around whoever was in the bed. He didn’t imagine that he somehow managed to _not_ wrap around Loki each night. But, they pretended it. However, this morning as Sam stretched himself out and tried to wake up, he found himself doing something he’d been thinking about lately, something that just seemed so natural he did it before he could even think to stop himself. He dropped down out of his stretch and rolled himself towards Loki, flinging one arm over his thighs while he snuggled down against the softness of Loki’s hip. Apparently the trickster had changed out of his jeans overnight; the material under Sam’s cheek was soft and felt good as he pressed his cheek against it.

He felt Loki chuckle. “Someone’s snuggly this morning.”

“Ev’ry mornin’.”

Sam’s sleep heavy voice was muffled against Loki’s hip and had earned another laugh as well as a warm, heavy hand in his hair. Sam didn’t really remember all that much after that except for the feel of Loki’s fingers going through his hair. It wasn’t until Bobby called up that breakfast was ready that Sam finally stirred.

He didn’t know that Loki had done anything until he was dressing in the bathroom and happened to look in the mirror and see the strange, rather intricate looking braid in his hair. Sam stood there for a moment and simply stared at it in the mirror. When he lifted a hand, it was almost hesitant, like he was just a bit afraid to touch. The braid was on the left side, just a little bit back from the front, and Sam felt both stunned and awed as he ran his fingers over the slender twisting of hair, the two tiny beads of - was that _gold_? - and the thin piece of leather that was woven around it. Sam knew enough random things about pagans to recognize the braid for what it was. His brain easily pulled up the text he'd read long ago, right here in Bobby's house, that had talked about the old-fashioned significance of marks between a god and the ones they claimed. Not just those they claimed as ones to protect, but those they claimed as their own.

The fact that Loki braided this into his hair was significant. It backed up the words he'd been saying and made the more than just words. It meant that – that he was serious about this. He really meant what he was saying.

Sam stared at his reflection and found his own face grinning broadly back at him.

When he got downstairs, the very first thing he saw, the first thing his eyes went to, was the grinning figure that was sitting at the kitchen table with his legs crossed and his body slouched down. Warm eyes ran over Sam, up his body and to his hair, and Sam didn't miss the lightning flash of possessiveness at the sight of the braid. Their eyes locked and Sam could see how pleased Loki was that he'd kept it in, just as Loki could see that Sam knew, that he understood, and that he'd left it in deliberately.

It should've been a moment between the two of them. They should've been able to have even just a minute to relish in this little moment and what it meant. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

"Aw, Sammy, you finally decided to give in an braid your hair, hm?"

Sam reached up a hand to absently touch at the braid even as he snuck a look over at his brother, who was leaning against the counter by the sink and drinking a cup of coffee. Sam knew his cheeks had heated ever so slightly. Then he found himself jumping a little as Castile’s deep voice spoke up from almost directly behind him.

“That is more than a simple braid.” The angel moved around to Sam's side, his eyes fixed firmly on Sam's hair. He had that narrow eyed, tilted head look going that he always got when he was studying something. It usually left Sam wanting to squirm, and now was no different.

His words had Dean standing up straight and the amused glare wiping off of his face. “What do you mean, Cas?”

There was a dangerous note to Dean's words that everyone but Castiel managed to hear. The seraph went on as if he didn't even notice just how ready to blow Dean was. “It is a mark of courtship amongst the pagans. A blending of cultural practices, I believe, that they have mixed and made their own. It is meant to signify the acceptance of a courtship, thus marking the person as taken to the other gods and goddesses.”

“Acceptance?” Dean's eyes narrowed and his lips pressed down into a hard line. He spun to look at Sam, already ready to start shouting.

Loki cut him off before he could get going. Unfortunately, he cut him off in a way that was pretty much designed to piss Dean off even more. “It was either I braid his hair and mark him that way, or I tattoo him.” His head turned just enough that he could throw Sam a wink. “I figured the tattoo's a bit more serious than you're ready for. Don't worry, though. We can talk about it later.”

And that had been when the metaphorical shit had hit the fan.

No one even noticed Sam slipping outside. Their argument was in full swing and they didn't really need him in there with them to have it. He was just the club they used to beat one another with. They didn't actually need his input at all.

This was getting so tiring. Not just infuriating, though it was that, but exhausting. Sam was getting sick and tired of playing monkey in the middle with them.

He heard footsteps behind him and tried not to groan. So much for escaping outside.

Only, it wasn't who he'd expected to find coming after him. When Sam turned, it wasn't Dean and it wasn't Loki who was there - it was Castiel. Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Cas?” Oh, shit. Had the two hurt each other? Had their fight finally gone physical? Sam turned fully around and made as if to start stepping towards the house, his body already ready to run. “Is everyone okay?”

“As far as I am aware, everyone is fine. They were still shouting when I left the house.”

That had Sam relaxing. He let the tension bleed out of him a little, enough that he wasn't braced and ready to run anymore. But it didn't go away completely. He and Castiel - they hadn't always had the best of relationships. Or any, really. The angel had never been shy about what he thought of Sam. For him to come and seek Sam out now most likely wasn't going to be for anything good. Better to get it over with. “Was there something you needed, Cas?”

“I came to check on you.” Castiel said it as if it were normal, not something that was surprising. There must've been some kind of look on Sam's face that gave his thoughts away because Castiel looked decidedly human for a moment, his eyebrows drawn down and a hint of something in his cheeks that might've been a blush. “I apologize, Samuel, that I've treated you in such a way that you find it surprising I'd concern myself with your welfare.”

Well, wow. Sam knew his eyebrows went up even more and his expression had to be just radiating his surprise. He tried his best to smooth his face out into a neutral look. “You take care of Dean, Cas. That's always been enough for me.”

“You are just as deserving of care as he is, Sam.”

 _Not likely_. Sam smothered down his snort. He tried to hide the look on his face by turning back the direction he'd been walking before, away from the house. “I'm all right. I always am.” Even if he wasn't, he always made sure that he looked like he was. Sometimes that was the best that you could do.

Castiel moved to stand beside him and Sam was surprised to see that the two of them were both moving side by side without even thinking about it, walking further out into the scrapyard. “You didn't seem fine when you left the house.”

Sam couldn’t help it; he laughed. When he saw Castiel's confused look, he tried his best to smother his grin. “I'm sorry, Cas. I wasn't laughing at you, not really. I just forget sometimes how blunt you are.”

“Was I wrong in asking you?”

“No, no.” The last thing Sam wanted was to teach Castiel to be as closed off as the Winchesters were. His bluntness and openness was honestly refreshing sometimes. In the few times that they'd talked, Sam had always enjoyed it. “I'm just not used to it. Dean and I tend to bottle things up and repress it until it bites us in the ass. You just come right out and ask things.”

Castiel shrugged his shoulder in a gesture that was so reminiscent of Dean it brought yet another smile to Sam's lips. “How can I gain answers if I don't ask any questions?” Then he surprised Sam by giving him another look, this one a bit more intense, and adding “Am I to assume by your evasions that this is a subject you don't wish to talk about? Dean often tries to distract me when he wishes not to answer a question.”

It was on the tip of Sam's tongue to ask Castiel just how Dean distracted him. Then he decided that, for the sake of his own sanity, he better not. If Castiel chose to answer it there were certain answers that Sam just didn't want to hear.

He instead pushed those thoughts away. “It's not that I don't want to answer. It's just, I don't know. I'm fine. I mean, I'll be fine. I just...” he trailed off, frustrated and a bit annoyed all over again.”

“You do not wish to be placed in the middle.” Castiel finished for him.

“Yeah.” Sam blew out a breath. That pretty much summed it up. “Yeah. I mean, I get it. I get that they're both feeling protective...” _and possessive_ “...but at the same time, I just, I'm my own person. I'm not a toy that they have to fight over. They're so busy arguing with one another over who has a better claim over me, they haven't stopped to ask me what I want or how I see things.” Not that he thought Dean would respect it even if he did ask. Sam was known for making horrible choices.

“And what is it you want?”

The fact that Castiel actually asked - not only asked, but honestly sounded like he wanted the answer - was enough to stop Sam in his tracks. He paused beside a broken down old Camaro and turned to look at the angel. He didn't answer right away, though. It wasn't an easy question. At least, not as easy as he'd thought it would be. Thinking about what he wanted was one thing. Finding the words to say it out loud? That was apparently something else entirely.

Castiel waited patiently, without ever once interrupting Sam's thoughts the way that Dean would've.

“I want...” Sam paused, biting his bottom lip. “I just, I want to be happy. I want my brother and I, I want Loki.” It was the first time that Sam had ever said those words out loud. He was stunned at how good it felt; how easy it was to say them again, this time in a voice that was much steadier. “I want Loki. I've always liked him, even when he pissed me off. Getting to know him these past few days has only made that stronger. I want to, to see where this goes with him. To try. But I don't want to lose my brother in the process and I'm afraid that's what's gonna happen. He's gonna make me choose and I can't... I can't pick someone else again, Cas. The last time I did I almost destroyed the world.” Sam felt his heart sink as he put some of his recent thoughts into words. He closed his eyes and felt his shoulders slump a little. “If he makes me choose, I'll pick him. I don't have any other choice. But it's gonna break me apart.”

It would, too. Sam had noticed that he was getting close with the trickster; he just hadn’t noticed how close. But he couldn’t deny it right now - if he lost Loki, there was a part of him that would go with him.

Sighing, Sam turned away, suddenly too tired to do this. Too tired to stand here and talk anymore. “I’m gonna walk for a while, Cas. Tell Loki to come get me if we hear anything more on Pestilence.” With nothing more than that, Sam set off further into the scrap yard. In that moment he just, he needed to be alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Honestly, I lost motivation on this for a while. I kept looking at it and finding myself disappointed with how it was turning out. The last couple chapters feel kind of like crap and it made me a bit discouraged. I'm trying to find that motivation again. Hopefully I managed - I wrote this chapter this morning and I'm mostly pleased with it. I hope you guys like it

Sam wasn’t sure how long he’d been outside before he was interrupted once more. This time he wasn’t wandering; he’d found himself the hood of a car to lean against. Despite his best efforts to get himself and his thoughts under control enough to go back inside, he was failing miserably. His mind was running in circles and all it seemed to be doing was dragging him further and further down. What little bit of hope that Sam hadn’t even realized Loki had brought to him was now starting to fade away. Why on earth had Sam actually thought that he might manage to find something good in the midst of all this? This whole mess, it was his fault, and it was only right that he was going to suffer from it. He was just… he was weak enough to wish that he didn’t have to.

This time when Sam heard the crunching of gravel he had no doubt who was coming towards him. Some part of him wanted nothing more than to duck down and hurry away before his brother came around the corner. Because of that, he forced himself to stand straight and tall and wait. He was _not_ going to run away from Dean.

Just seconds later Dean appeared at the corner of the row of cars. His eyes quickly found Sam, saw him standing there staring right at him, and there was only a brief hesitation before the older Winchester came forward. He stopped with only a couple feet of space between them. _Fighting space,_ Sam thought. Dean was keeping his distance and bracing like he did when he was sure they were going to be fighting. That wasn’t all that reassuring.

They stayed quiet for a long beat. Sam wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence. He wasn’t eager to have this conversation, that was for sure.

When Dean realized that he was going to have to be the one to speak up first, he grimaced. Then he lifted his chin and squared his shoulders. His whole body was radiating his discomfort and his determination. “Look, I know you trust that little douche in there for some godforsaken reason, but that doesn’t mean you can ask me to, all right? He’s screwed us over one to many times for me to even think about trusting him.”

Well this was off to a great start. Sam felt like he was being thrown into the middle of an argument, one he hadn’t even known he was having, and he had to scramble to catch up. He should’ve figured Dean would be in the mood for confrontation, not reconciliation. “I never said you had to trust him.”

“You sure?” Dean raised his eyebrows and stuffed his hands down into his pockets. “It seems like you and him both are asking for a hell of a lot of trust. The dude’s _claiming_ you, Sam. An you’re letting him. Hell, you’re letting him braid your hair in some sort of weird, fucked up declaration to everyone.”

It took everything Sam had not to snap at him. There was a big part of him that wanted to just fight this out right here and now. He wanted to snap back at Dean with the same temper that had been thrown his way lately. Only, Sam knew that he didn’t have the right, and he knew it wouldn’t help solve anything. Snapping at Dean wouldn’t do him any good. So he took a deep breath, and then another. “Is it the fact that it’s Loki?” He asked, voice low and careful. “Or is it just me with anyone?”

“Maybe if you picked someone that was, I don't know - human!”

Temper buzzed underneath Sam's skin and had his whole body tensing. Of course he knew that was the issue - of course he did. It didn't make it any easier to hear. Sam shoved his own hands into his pockets so that Dean wouldn't see how he was clenching them into fists. “You sure don't seem to have a problem with Cas.”

The look Dean gave him was both pissed off and disgusted, a look that Sam had found only his brother capable of pulling off so well. “That's different.”

“How?”

“He's not a dick!” Dean snapped. “Cas is on our side, dude. He's helping us. He didn't screw us over just for kicks!”

Sam's mouth actually dropped open at that. “Are you kidding me, Dean? Cas has spent more time trying to screw us over than he has trying to help us! He might be on our side now, but he wasn't before. He and the rest of the angels spent forever trying to push us apart. Hell, who do you think let me out of the freaking panic room when I was detoxing? But oh, no, let's forget all about all of that, huh? Let's forget about everything he's done because Cas is _your_ angel. He's _special_.”

“This aint about me and Cas!” Dean took a step forward and his eyes were flashing, the tension in his body showing just how close he was to throwing punches. “This is about you and this thing you've got for picking monsters. This dude has tried screwing you over from the day we met him, Sam! An now suddenly he's professing his undying love for you? You don't find that the least bit suspicious?”

“He's not....” Blowing out a breath, Sam tried not to actually growl at his brother. “He's not professing his undying love. And it's not sudden, either.” Not if you listened to the way Loki talked. This wasn't just some sudden thing for him. This had started years ago. Trying to forcibly calm himself down, Sam clenched his fists and then relaxed them, pushing out some of his anger in that gesture. It didn't help much but it was enough to at least help him steady his voice so he wasn't as tempted to start shouting. “This whole openly claiming me bit, that's new, yeah. But the rest of it? It's kind of been happening for years now, Dean. Ever since we first ran into him.”

“Those have all been hunts, Sam! That doesn't count as getting to know someone. You know almost nothing about this guy!” Dean fired back, and Sam had to fight not to point out that all they knew of Castiel was through hunts and shit as well.

Sam licked his lips and told himself to stand firm here. He'd given in on so much lately with Dean because he knew he deserved it. Knew he wasn't to be trusted. But this... this was different. He wanted to fight for this. He needed to. “I may not know a lot about him, but I'm not going to unless you back off enough to give me the chance to find out.”

“I can't do that.” Dean shook his head. “I don't trust him, Sam. I just don't.”

“I know you don't. And I know you don't trust me either.” That hurt to actually say out loud. Sam licked his lips and swallowed down the lump that had built in his throat. His voice went just a bit softer. “Not that I really blame you. I know I've got crap history with relationships. I get it. But Dean - he's not Ruby.”

The both of them flinched at the sound of that name. Sam knew even mentioning her could make this whole thing blow up in his face.

“He's a supernatural creature, Sammy. A trickster.” Dean said, throwing his hand out in a gesture that was probably meant to encompass the being that wasn't here anymore. “He killed me over and over just to screw with you.”

“He was trying to teach me a lesson.”

Dean made a loud, growling sound of frustration. “I don't care what he was trying to do. It was torture, plain and simple! And you're just willing to forgive that? Seriously?”

The memory of all those Tuesdays and the Wednesday afterwards wasn’t something that Sam was ever going to forget. It wasn’t something that just went away. But he couldn’t let the pain he’d felt dictate his life. Especially when he knew the reasons behind it. Sam shook his head. “I know what he was trying to do.”

“I don't care.” Dean snarled out. He jabbed a finger Sam’s direction, taking a step forward. “I'm not gonna just sit back and watch him hurt you again, Sammy. I won't. You can't ask me to do that. This isn't Gabriel – this is the Trickster. This is like the guy we met, just with all the good sucked outta him. He's gonna hurt you and I can't let that happen.”

The last part of that was said with an ache to it that had Sam’s head snapping up and his eyes locking right on his brother. What he saw there was like a sucker punch. This wasn’t just about Dean not trusting him, though that was a big part of it. This was about Dean wanting to _protect_ him. This was Dean being the big brother that Sam had been so damn sure that Hell had stolen from him. Seeing it now was enough to take away the sharper edge of his temper. “Dean.”

“If you’re not gonna look after yourself, someone has to. I’m not gonna just sit back and watch him destroy you when he gets tired of playing games. You might not like it but that’s just how it is.”

“I'm not saying don't look out for me.” Sam said softly. “I'm just... I'm saying that you have to let me make my own choices. Loki's not asking me to do anything; he's not asking me to drink anything or trying to get me to end the world. He's not doing anything but showing an interest in me. If it gets me hurt in the end, then that's my own fault. But it's a risk I want to take, Dean. I want... I want to try.”

The area around them fell silent as the two brothers stared at one another. There was nothing that either one could say to change the others mind and they both knew it. Dean wasn't going to back down on this and Sam didn't know what to say or what to do.

There was no telling how long the two of them would've stood there if they hadn't been interrupted by the very being they were just discussing.

A snap was their warning that they weren't alone anymore. Both brothers looked up, their eyes immediately finding the trickster perched on the top of a nearby car. He was holding a phone in his hand and grinning at him. “Sorry to interrupt gossip time with the girls, but...” He waggled the phone at them. “Guess who just got word where Pestilence is?”

* * *

Everything moved kind of quickly after that. They got their things together in record time and were heading out to the car within ten minutes of Loki's announcement. There'd been arguing, of course. Dean wanted to make damn sure that Loki's information was good. It was only by the insistence of Sam, Castiel, and Bobby that they finally got Dean to agree to load up and go check it out. As Bobby said “What's the worst that could happen? You make a pointless trip instead of sittin' round my house driving me nuts? Get outta here!”

So Sam and Dean packed up the bags that they rarely ever even unpacked anyways and they hurried outside.

Sam supposed it shouldn’t have surprised him to find Loki waiting in the back and Castiel already in the passenger's seat of the Impala. He tried not to let it piss him off. It looked like he was apparently going to get stuck sitting in the backseat once more. Not that sitting with Loki was any real hardship. But his legs and back were going to hate him by the time they got to their destination.

Loki must've been thinking the same thing. When Sam climbed into the backseat after tossing his bag in the trunk, the trickster gave him a look that could almost be labeled as sympathetic. Then he looked up at Dean, who was dropping himself down into the driver's seat. “You do realize it'll come in handy if your brother can actually walk when we arrive, don't you?”

“He'll be fine.” Dean said simply.

The dismissive words had Sam rolling his eyes. Still, he jammed himself into the backseat and yanked the door shut behind him, ignoring the glare he got when it shut too hard.

The next second Sam found himself being pushed sideways and he suddenly had a lap full of trickster. Loki climbed right up against Sam and seated himself between the hunter’s legs, pushing one of Sam’s legs up against the back of the seat and allowing the other to stretch out into the floor behind the driver’s seat, giving him that little bit of extra leg room. From the front seat, Dean was twisting around and snapping out “Hey! Get your hands off my brother!” at the same time that Sam was asking “What’re you doing?”

“What does it look like I'm doing?” Loki arched an eyebrow at the Winchester that he'd chosen to answer, completely ignoring the other one. There was the grin of the trickster on his lips and that always seemed to spell trouble. “You're too big to fit back here for long distance. This'll make it easier.” That said, he pushed and nudged at Sam until he was comfortably settled against him. Then, much to Sam’s amusement and Dean’s continued protests, he grabbed Sam’s hands and pulled them until Sam was forced to wrap his arms around him.

Dean made a loud sound of disgust and Sam was surprised to find that he had to turn his face in against Loki’s hair to hide his smile. This seating arrangement wasn’t purely for _his_ benefit, he knew. Loki was too much of a trickster not to enjoy needling Dean a little. So long as they weren’t outright fighting, Sam didn’t mind so much.

It helped when Castiel put a hand on Dean’s arm and leaned over to say something to him. Whatever he said was too low for Sam to hear but it had Dean growling and spinning around to face forward again. No one was surprised when Dean turned the car on and immediately set a tape in and turned it up way too loud. Sam didn’t really care. He was too busy focusing on the body that was wrapped up in his arms. Loki was _warm_. Warm and sort of cuddly, really, which Sam hadn’t expected.

He felt a huff of laughter and then Loki was turning just a little until he was facing the back of the car, one eye peeking up at Sam through that perpetually messy hair. “Not a teddy bear.”

“Absolutely not.” Sam murmured back. He wouldn’t dare think that. Loki would be the type to turn _Sam_ into a teddy bear for having thoughts like those.

A low rumble of amusement shook Loki’s frame. He didn’t comment on Sam’s thoughts, though he’d undoubtedly heard them. Instead, he burrowed in a little more against Sam’s chest and shifted his head just enough that he could press his nose against Sam’s throat. It was a rather intimate gesture, and a slightly more submissive one than he’d seen out of Loki so far. Almost the instant he had that thought Sam felt the sharp warning nip of teeth against his neck. A shudder ran down his body. _Yeah_ , he thought, tightening his arms around Loki a little. _Not quite so submissive._ Still, Sam didn’t move. He let Loki lay where he was and the two slowly relaxed against one another. Between the warm weight of Loki making Sam feel oddly protected and the familiar vibrations of the Impala soothing him as it always did, it took no time at all before Sam drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

When Sam woke up again the car was still vibrating underneath him and Loki’s weight seemed to have not moved. Sam was content to just lay there and drift in that space between asleep and awake. At least, he was until he heard the voices talking above him, which was probably what had woken him up in the first place.

“So, how exactly are you planning on protecting us?” Dean was asking.

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and some more thrown in just for fun.” Loki quipped. He rolled a little, bringing his face more towards the front of the car than the back, and Sam made a low sound in protest at having his warm cuddle partner moving. Loki rubbed a hand over Sam’s arm to quiet him down. “Calm down there, turbo.” For a second Sam thought that Loki was talking to him, until he added “You really think I’m gonna let anything happen to my Sammy?”

“While he may not appear trustworthy, Dean, I can guarantee you that Loki will not let any harm come to Sam if at all possible.” Castiel said reassuringly.

“An what about the rest of us?”

“I already said I'd protect you guys. Geeze. What more do you want?”

Sam pinched at Loki's side, earning him a twist and a nip against his arm from the god.

Up in the front seat Dean let out a disgusted sound that was half snort, half growl. “How about something to show that you give a damn about us actually surviving this. Cause right now it sounds like all you care about is Sam making it out of this.”

The tone to Dean's voice had Sam waking up a little more. He knew that tone - knew how pissed off Dean actually was. Just as he knew that his brother wasn't going to like whatever kind of answer came out of Loki's mouth next. Still, even though Sam had been expecting some sort of remark that would piss Dean off, he hadn't expected what Loki actually said. When he chuckled and said “Pretty much” the whole atmosphere of the car when still and tense. Even Sam was frozen, his open eyes now staring at the top of Loki's head. The trickster didn't move. If anything, he snuggled in closer as he continued to speak. “I mean, I'll do my best, don't get me wrong. It'd upset him if something happened to you guys.”

“So the only reason you give a damn about anyone else aside from Sam is because you don't wanna upset him? Nice. You're a real freaking dick, you know that?”

“You're just now realizing that?” A laugh rumbled through Loki's chest. “You keep confusing me with Gabriel, bucko. He's the one that cared about people.” Against his chest, Sam could feel it as Loki's lips curved up. It wasn't hard for Sam to picture the smirk he was probably wearing. “I don't. If I thought I could get Sam over losing you without him turning into a suicidal or homicidal maniac again? You damn well better believe I'd leave your protection to the little angel-that-could over there. After all, it's only fair considering how many times angels had protected you without ever giving a damn about Sam. Even when they do look out for him, it's only ever because of you, not because they care about him at all.”

The car went quiet.  Sam couldn't move, could barely even breathe.

He felt Loki sigh against him and then the trickster was pushing up. “I'm bored with this.” He sat up in his seat, twisting himself so that he could look down at Sam, one hand braced on the back of the seat and the other resting on Sam's leg. “This is taking too long.”

“I can't make the car go faster.” Sam said slowly, his mind still stuck on the things that Loki had just said. A dangerous light entered Loki's eyes and Sam hurriedly added “That wasn't an invitation!”

The trickster's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “Why you always gotta ruin my fun, gorgeous?” Then he sighed and shook his head. “Fine! But I'm not sitting around in the back of this rolling phallus.” Twisting his head, he looked up to the front seat. “We're like fifteen minutes from the motel. When you get there, make sure you put on the symbols just like I showed you, Cassie boy. That'll keep your boy safe. Sammy and I will meet you guys outside in an hour.”

With no more warning than that, Loki snapped his fingers and the two vanished out of the back of the car.

Sam found himself landing in an ungraceful sprawl on top of a bed. It felt like Loki had dropped him a little above the bed and then just let him drop. When he sat up, he found Loki perched in a nearby chair, grinning at him. Sam scowled at him. “You couldn’t wait fifteen more minutes? You know Dean’s gonna complain about this later.”

“Dean’s going to complain about the sun shining and the direction the wind is blowing.” Loki pulled a book from seemingly nowhere. Kicking his legs up to rest his feet on the table, he laid the book on his lap and opened it, flashing Sam a smile before looking down at the book again. A pen appeared in his hands. “That boy’s so pissed right now nothing’s gonna make him happy. If I worried about things pissing him off, I’d never get to do anything fun. Now! You might wanna take the time we got to stretch out an go take a shower. These things work better if you’ve purified the body first.”

It was very clearly a dismissal, one that Sam was tempted to ignore on principal alone. One look at the amusement in Loki’s eyes as they turned up towards him had him changing his mind. Living with Dean had taught him that sometimes it was better to pick your battles. With the mood Loki was in – especially after he’d managed to behave so long in the car – something told Sam it was better just to let him win this round.

Without a word, Sam made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Sam was standing in the main part of the motel room with his shirt tossed over onto the bed and Loki standing in front of him diligently painting some kind of symbols all over Sam’s stomach and chest. He’d already put a few on Sam’s back.

Knowing that this was going to happen was quite a bit different than actually standing there and letting Loki do it. It wasn’t that Sam didn’t trust him – he was scared sometimes to realize how much he _did_ – it was just a test in self-control that Sam was having a hard time winning. It didn’t help that Loki had very obviously picked up on his thoughts and was enjoying pushing him even more. What had been simple painting before had turned into something a whole lot more sensual. Something which Sam knew this wasn’t the time or the place for.

To try and distract himself, he focused his thoughts on other things. Unfortunately, all the other things that he tried to think about all involved Loki as well.

Sam heard a low chuckle from Loki. Dropping his gaze, he tried to glare at the trickster. Almost against his will he found that look softening, though, as he watched Loki’s fingers create some sort of complicated pattern up over his shoulder and down his bicep. There was a smile on Loki’s lips and a relaxed, amused glint to his eyes. One that Sam was both surprised and a bit pleased to realize didn’t hold any of the sharper edges that were usually there. Yet again Loki was letting down his guard in a way that he seemed to only do with Sam.

It still seemed so _strange_ to see him like this. To look at Loki and see him without the snark and bad attitude. Right now Loki wasn’t in here playing tricks on him. He wasn’t hurting or killing anyone. Hell, he was _helping_ them. He was actually standing there painting things on Sam’s chest to keep him protected against Pestilence. He was helping Sam to try and find a way to stop this whole mess that Sam had created. Why?

If Sam asked, he knew he’d just get the same answer – that Sam belonged to Loki, that the god had claimed Sam. To Loki, that seemed enough of an answer. To Sam, it just brought up more questions. He didn’t understand _why._ Why would Loki claim him? How… how could he want Sam’s soul? The young hunter closed his eyes, not noticing as Loki’s hand stilled against his chest right after the last sigil was painted. All of his focus was inward. How could Loki want to claim Sam? Who he was, what he’d done – he could only imagine how it made his soul look. Even the angels shied away from him. The trouble he’d caused, all that demon blood, so many wrong choices. How was there anything left at all to his soul to entice anyone?

Something heavy brushed against Sam’s skin and jerked him out of his thoughts. He opened eyes he hadn’t realized he’d closed to find that Loki was inches from him, his eyes glowing like the edge of a fire’s glow in the dark. Light with just a hint of heat and danger to it. The air felt heavy and oppressive and Sam couldn’t speak.

When Loki broke the silence, his voice had gone deeper, with a layer to it that gave a faint hint of thunder in the distance, a threat of a storm rolling in. “Do you think I make this choice lightly?”

“No…”

“Do you think I’m stupid, then?” Loki cut in, his voice getting heavier, that storm getting closer. The light in his eyes grew darker and a bit more dangerous, the fire threatening to spread. “Tell me, Sam. Do you think I’m stupid and blind? That I can’t tell when something evil is right in front of me? That I’d take a broken, pathetic, _filthy_ excuse for a soul and actually claim it instead of tossing it away? Me, who’s been offered countless souls for longer even than your human mind could imagine!”

With each passing word Sam had tensed a little more and a little more. Because everything Loki listed, those were things Sam had thought about himself, things he’d labeled himself – or that others had labeled him. Hearing them all said out loud made his chest tighten and his stomach roll. But it was the absolute fury in Loki’s words that had the human taking a step back and ducking his head, feeling a sudden need to placate the obviously furious god.

The god only followed him until he was once more in Sam’s face. “There are more souls out there than you can ever realize, and I’ve been offered plenty. Out of all of them, I chose you. _You_.”

“But _why_?” Sam blurted out. “That’s what I don’t understand. You’ve bene offered all of those – so why the hell would you choose _me_?”

Like the strike of a snake Loki moved. Sam found himself slamming into the wall hard enough to make his head bounce. He didn’t get a chance to recover before Loki’s hand was around his throat and Sam found himself being pinned by something that was a whole lot stronger than he was. Just seconds later the storm he’d felt before came crashing over him as Loki slammed their lips together in a possessive kiss that was all heat and demand. Sam melted under it.

It lasted only a moment before Loki yanked back. His eyes were wild and he was glaring at Sam. The hand around the hunter’s throat tightened for one threatening moment. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re mine, Samuel Winchester? Every broken, bleeding, scarred, stained, _gorgeous_ inch of your soul is _mine_. An I’ll be damned if I’m gonna sit back and watch everyone continue to try and destroy it.”

With absolutely no warning, a loud snap echoed through the room and Loki was gone. Sam stared in surprise at the empty room in front of him. Whatever he’d expected out of their conversation, it hadn’t been…whatever that was. He definitely hadn’t anticipated Loki’s intense defense of Sam and Sam’s soul. After hearing so much about the darkness inside of him, the potential for evil, it’d left Sam with a rather dark view of himself. The demon blood had made that worse, as had finding out that he was Lucifer’s vessel. For someone who had already been rather self-deprecating, finding out all of those things had just made his image of himself worse.

Yet here Loki was, saying that he had chosen Sam as he was. Chosen him out of a multitude of other options. Even with as damaged as Sam’s soul no doubt was, warped by everything he’d done and everything done to him, this amazing being had still chosen him. A being who could’ve had his pick of souls over the years. Sam was the one he chose. The one he clung to.

Somewhere in the back of Sam’s mind came the reminder that _Loki_ might’ve chosen him – but _Gabriel_ hadn’t.

There was only one angel that wanted anything to do with Sam and it was the one angel no one else wanted around.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there be some poorly written smut in here xD
> 
> Also, Hi! Trying to finish everything, so I'll be posting things for this too. Not fast, but I haven't forgotten it, I swear!

Sam wasn’t quite sure where Loki had gone off to when he’d snapped himself away. He knew it wasn’t going to be far. Not with how protective Loki was of watching over Sam. So, he wasn’t all that surprised when he stepped out of the room and found the trickster leaning against the side of Dean’s car. However, he _was_ surprised when he let his eyes travel over Loki and take note of all the changes in the trickster’s appearance.

If he’d had any doubts about Gabriel being gone lingering in the back of his mind, they were dispelled in that moment. This was most definitely not the archangel. Loki had on black jeans that hugged him like a dream and probably would’ve perfectly put certain parts of him on display if they hadn’t been mostly covered by the bottom of the dark green tunic he had on, over which was something that Sam was pretty sure was a leather vest that made for a rather interesting mix of past and present fashion that somehow Loki managed to pull off.

Then Sam noticed that Loki had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing the length of his forearms – his _tattooed_ forearms. Black ink stood out in such a startling contrast to the golden hue of his skin. The tattoos were done in long, twisting patterns that tugged at Sam’s brain like they were familiar, hinting at some of the power that Sam swore he always felt when the trickster was around. Sam wanted to go over and look at them. He wanted to trace the lines of them and try and find the secrets of what they were. How far up did they go? Did he have more?

Sam lifted his eyes and found that Loki was looking at him, smirking at him, with his hair blowing loose and wild around his face. The wind blew it a little and Sam caught sight of a few smaller braids placed here and there.

Sweet Jesus, it wasn’t fair that Sam should be wondering and in there and then he came out here to get sucker-punched by this dangerous being casually waiting for him with a look on his face that suggested he was quite enjoying Sam’s thoughts. _He probably did it on purpose_. As soon as that thought came, he saw Loki’s smirk grow and his eyebrows wiggled lewdly, making the answer a very clear ‘yeah’.

He wasn’t the only one affected by the sight of him. Sam heard a door open and looked over to watch as Dean and Castiel came walking out. He took comfort in the fact that Dean visibly startled when he saw Loki. Not just startled, but actually froze and stared. The look on his face made it clear that he’d had the same thoughts as Sam – well, _some_ of the same thoughts. Dean was seeing Loki now as well. Not Gabriel, not ‘the trickster’, _Loki_.

Still, Dean tried to play it off casually, hiding away how out of sorts he really felt. “What’s with the fashion change?” He asked, gesturing at Loki with one hand.

The trickster chuckled lowly, which should not have made Sam shiver the way it did. “We’re going to fight, gentlemen. I’m not hiding myself from some petty creature like Pestilence. He’s going to know exactly who’s coming for him.” His hand lifted and pushed back the edge of his long vest just enough for him to be able to rest his hand on the hilt of a knife Sam hadn’t even noticed before yet now couldn’t stop looking at. _Jesus Christ_. There was something seriously wrong with Sam when the sight of a pagan god playing with a knife in a threatening manner was enough to get his blood pumping.

Sam managed to get himself under control and get his thoughts locked – mostly – away. Loki didn’t really help with that. The way he was looking at Sam made it abundantly clear he’d heard and enjoyed all of his thoughts.

“So he’s actually here?” Dean asked. He was more alert now, eyes sharp as they fixed on Loki, and Sam was doing the same.

A hint of humor faded off of Loki’s face, though his smile stayed firmly in place. It made him look even more dangerous. “Yeah. Shielded damn well to hide out from the angels and such, but yeah, he’s here. I can feel him not that far away. You guys still set on this crazy plan of going after him?” He looked at the two hunters, both of whom nodded, and then to Castiel, who stood up just a little straighter at Dean’s side. Seeing their resolve had Loki chuckling. “All right. This ought to be fun.”

One last look at them all and then everyone braced themselves as Loki snapped.

* * *

This was the place that Pestilence was setting up at? Sam stared up at the Serenity Valley Convalescent Home and shook his head. He supposed it was a rather smart idea that _this_ was where someone like Pestilence would go. Still…

Beside him, Dean was looking up at the place as well, his lips twisted into a small scowl. “So, this is Dr. Evil’s lair, huh?”

Sam grimaced. He didn’t like doing this. He didn’t like the idea of just rushing in. The sigils that were painted on them were supposed to be for protection. Sam had wanted them to stay, protected, and try and figure out a way to stop this guy. He wanted to look things over and _plan_. Unfortunately, he was with two people who sort of lived by that ‘by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ lifestyle and were more than ready to rush straight in there. Castiel, at least, could keep a level head and try to plan, but he was also prone to simply following in after Dean and hoping to keep him alive.

“We should think about this a bit.” Sam said, knowing even as he did that the words weren’t going to do a damn thing. “We’ve got a whole building full of people and we don’t know who’s human or demon or Pestilence himself.”

Loki grinned and leaned in to bump his shoulder against Sam’s bicep. “That’s what you got us for, Samboyo. Cassie and I can let you know which is which.”

“This is going to go so wrong.” Sam grumbled. Then he jumped when he felt a hand smack against his ass. Turning, he glared at the god beside him.

Loki grinned. “You think I’m gonna let anything happen to this ass?” That hand was back, giving a squeeze before Sam jerked away from him, and Loki’s low chuckle filled the air and sent goosebumps over Sam’s skin. “Don’t you worry, kiddo. I don’t let people mess with what’s mine.” Loki lifted his other hand, the one that wasn’t still trying to grope Sam, and he gave a little twist of his wrist. On the upward turn, a knife suddenly appeared in his hand, startling Sam.

The knife itself was, well, it was _gorgeous_. Sam had always liked blades – he liked them a whole lot more than guns. It was why he usually liked to carry Ruby’s knife. This knife looked sharp and deadly and beautiful. The blade was long – it was almost the length of his forearm – and slightly curved, with a wicked looking tip. In the faint light Sam swore he caught sight of inscriptions carved into the blade itself. The cross-guard looked like it carried more inscriptions and sigils as well as a few jewels that were worth taking a second and third look at. When Loki flipped it around and held it, hilt out, Sam hesitated only a second before he let his hand reach out. “There, that should keep you a bit safer.” Loki said. “It’s a pagan made blade, with a dash of archangel thrown in for fun. You stab the baddies with this, trust me, they aint getting back up.”

There wasn’t much that Sam could think of to say to that. He settled on a low “Thanks” that made Loki grin at him.

With everyone armed and ready to go in, there was no more waiting, no more time for much of anything. Sam found himself following his brother in despite his reservations. Getting in the building was ridiculously easy. Two hunters, an angel, and a pagan god who had a dash of archangel in him at the moment. Yeah, the security guard – who was simply human – didn’t really stand a chance. Dean knocked him out and they were free to take a moment and explore.

Sam was the one to find their first clue. Looking at the security cameras, he saw something familiar on there, something that always signified trouble in their world. “Hey, Dean.” Once he had his brother’s attention, he pointed to the camera and the way the image on the screen had distorted slightly.

A grin curved Dean’s lips. “Oh, now we’re talking.”

“That looks about right.” Loki chimed in. He leaned against Sam, taking his own look at the camera. “So that’s…second floor. Room 201 I’d guess. You boys ready for this?”

“Oh yeah,” Dean said, still grinning, at the same time that Sam said “No.” The younger hunter sighed and shook his head, glancing down at the being still pressed against him. “Not like we have a choice, though. Let’s get this over with.”

Loki grinned cheekily at him. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. I’ll keep you safe.” He tossed in a wink at the end, which really shouldn’t have been as amusing or cute as it was.

Pushing away those feelings – they weren’t really important right now and Sam needed to focus – Sam only allowed himself a small twitch of the lips. Then he looked over at his brother, who was making sure that he had all his gear in place, and he tried not to sigh. “It’s not really me I’m worried about.” He knew he’d make it out of here okay. There was no way Loki would let it happen any other way. Sam had a startling amount of faith in that, which he’d think about later. No, what his real concern was here, more than anything else, was how safe his brother would be.

A small, strong hand clapped his shoulder in a conciliatory way, and Sam turned to find Loki giving him a look of pity. “I know. We’ll work on that.”

There was no chance for Sam to answer. The others were already starting forward and he had to join them or risk being left behind. He didn’t bother thinking on Loki’s words. The being was strange and cryptic often. If he spoke plainly, it’d be the day Sam would begin to suspect someone in disguise. For the moment he opted to just focus on the case. They needed to take care of Pestilence. That was what was important right now.

* * *

Two exhausted hunters, an angel and a pagan were gathered together later in their motel room. Sam thought to himself that it sounded like the tagline for some sort of really bad joke. When he heard Loki start to snicker, he knew the god was listening and he resolved not to bait him. Something told him this was a joke he didn’t really want to hear.

There was plenty else to focus on. Namely, the innocent looking ring that sat in the center of the table. A ring that had proved a lot easier to take than they’d anticipated. Pestilence hadn’t been _easy_ , so to speak, only he’d been less trouble than Sam had thought he would. Loki and Castiel had been able to keep them from getting too sick. A little slipped through, because this was a Horseman they were up against, but it hadn’t been enough to knock them down. And once you took that away from the man, once his powers proved ineffective, pinning him long enough to cut off his ring had been pretty damn easy. An old man didn’t have much hope against two trained hunters, an angel, and a pagan god.

They had their next ring now. They were one step closer to the end of all of this. All that was left was getting Death’s rings and they’d have all four rings from the Horsemen. From there, it was just a matter of figuring out what to do with them. How did they work? How did four rings open up a door to the Cage? There had to be something more than just having the four of them together. They’d have to find that out, and then – then they’d have to handle the rest.

Sam quickly jerked his thoughts away from that before any of them could leak through to the being who had just gone very still beside him. Judging by the fact that Loki wasn’t shouting at him or freaking out, Sam was willing to bet the trickster hadn’t caught what Sam didn’t want him to. However, he now likely knew there was something in Sam’s head that he was deliberately avoiding thinking about in front of him, and that was going to make him extremely suspicious. Suspicious enough to start keeping a much closer watch on Sam, dammit.

A hand slid up Sam’s back, out of sight of their brothers, until those fingers could thread into his hair and give a short, sharp tug. “You better believe it, handsome.”  Then, in a louder voice, he spoke to the rest of the room as well. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight. Sitting here staring at the thing isn’t gonna get anything done. Soooo, we’re going back to our room to let my human get some sleep before we head out in the morning. I suggest yours does the same, Cassie.”

Then, with a snap, Sam and Loki were gone.

They appeared back in their motel room, right on the bed. Sam tried not to let himself sigh again. He’d been doing that too much lately. But, dammit, Dean was going to have a fit over the fact that Sam kept vanishing on him.

“Ask me how much I care, gorgeous.”

Any thoughts were chased out of Sam’s head when he found himself suddenly flat on his back on the bed, with Loki over top of him. The god was kneeling astride Sam’s hips and was bent forward, his arms on either side of Sam’s head. The position he was bent to had his hair coming down around his face in loose waves, those little braids Sam had glimpsed before were now swaying just a bit, and Sam wanted to reach up and play with them. He also wanted to reach out to the muscled arms on either side of him and explore the tattoos that were now _right there_. There was so much at once that he wanted to do.

Almost all those thoughts were chased away when Loki smirked down at him. “Ah, ah, ah. Who says _you_ get to do anything?”

With no more warning than that, Sam found his arms pinned above his head and his body stretched out on the length of a suddenly much longer bed. Loki was still above him, grinning at him, and something in that grin made Sam’s whole body go hot. “ _So_ ,” The trickster drawled the word out, long and slow, and his eyes twinkled devilishly down at Sam. “Here’s the thing. Power like what we just did, it’s one hell of a rush, and those dirty little thoughts of yours have been playing _all day_. So, this is what we’re going to do. You tell me to get up, and I swear to you, _älskling_ , that’s what I’ll do. I’ll get up and we’ll put on a movie and pretend for a night the world out there isn’t trying to get in here and kill us. Or…I stay right here, and you take exactly what I’m going to give you.” Those last words carried a dark promise that had Sam shivering. It only made Loki’s grin grow. “I won’t fuck you, Sam, no matter how much either one of us might want it. You were right the other night, it’s too soon. _But_ , you’re going to give yourself to me, and I’m going to take it.”

It was all on the border of _too much_ and yet at the same time it wasn’t enough. The other night, listening to Loki talk about worshiping him, about treating him like a god, it’d quickly pushed things towards that too much, too soon line, adding in emotions to the lust that Sam just wasn’t ready for. But this? This raw, aching need that he could see in Loki’s eyes – this, Sam was familiar with. Though he knew Loki would hate the comparison, Sam had done this with Ruby. It was with her that he’d learned the fun of burning off post battle adrenaline with raw, angry _fucking_. And while Loki had just bluntly said that he wasn’t going to fuck Sam, the promise of what he might do was enough to get Sam’s blood going.

The trickster had given him two options, and Sam was deliberate in his silence as he laid there and stared up at him.

Heat flashed brighter into Loki’s eyes and Sam knew his message was understood. There was absolutely no bracing himself for the heated mouth that slammed against his and _claimed_ him.

The last time they’d kissed, there’d been a gentleness that had surprised Sam. This time was nothing like that.

This time, Loki took, and there was nothing that Sam could do but let him. It felt like Loki was trying to devour him, his mouth hot and insistent over Sam’s, his tongue snaking in to taste and claim every single inch of Sam’s mouth until the human was gasping as they broke apart. Loki didn’t let it stop him, though. His mouth traveled along Sam’s jawline, delivering sharp nips and little licks all along the way. When he sucked a bruise into the side of Sam’s neck, the younger hunter couldn’t stop his moan as it poured loudly past his lips. There was a brief moment in which he absently thought about his brother, whose room likely wasn’t far away, or any other neighbors they had here. Then Loki groaned against his skin and bit down, a little lower and a little harder, and Sam was lost on another moan as the pain-pleasure shocked through his system.

Two hands pressed down onto Sam’s chest, pinning him in place. Loki used that hold to balance himself as he slid down a little lower, mouth going to Sam’s collarbone. The pressure of being held like that was enough to make Sam’s hips jerk, rocking him up against Loki. That earned him a sharp nip that Sam swore broke skin. One of Loki’s hands slid down to palm his hip and hold him in place. When Sam looked down through hazy eyes, he found Loki staring up at him, what looked like the ghost of a snarl on lips that were colored with Sam’s blood. “Stay still.”

Oh sweet God. That mouth went back to his skin and Sam threw his head back on another moan. His arms strained briefly against the invisible bands that still held them above his head. Then, held securely in place by things he knew he’d never be able to get free from, he let his whole body go limp., a willing toy for Loki’s whims.

He felt the trickster moan against his skin again and those eyes flashed up at him, darker than Sam could remember seeing them before and flashing with those hints of green that Sam associated with Loki’s powers. “Look at you.” The god murmured, nuzzling at Sam’s nipple – and when had his shirt vanished on him?? – before giving it a bite. At Sam’s cry, he soothed over the abused bud with his tongue. “So gorgeous, so responsive. And all _mine_.”

Sam couldn’t find the words to respond. He could barely even manage to think. The only words in his mind were an almost nonstop chat of _please_ and _yes_ and _Loki_. He laid there and pleaded in his mind as Loki took his time mapping out every inch of Sam’s chest, spending a particular amount of time at his nipples when it was obvious Sam enjoyed it, and then his mouth was burning a path lower and lower. Later, Sam was going to take the time to try and figure out what happened to his clothes, or how they vanished without him knowing. But at the time he could only think of the blazing heat of Loki’s hands as they settled on Sam’s thighs and spread them apart while the trickster slid down and settled himself onto the bed between Sam’s open legs. His breath was hot against Sam’s hip, his cheek just brushing against Sam’s aching cock without giving him any sort of real stimulation, and _God_ , it was torture of the best kind, and Sam couldn’t take it. “Please, please, Loki, _please_!”

He hadn’t realized that the words had stopped being just in his mind and were now spilling past his lips. Sam twisted and writhed underneath the bonds that held him down. When Loki sat back to watch him with a look of dark satisfaction, Sam couldn’t look away. Because he wasn’t the only one to have lost his clothes. Loki’s shirt was gone and his pants were unbuttoned, though not gone. They hung just low enough on his hips to be teasing, yet they nicely put on display the abs that Sam hadn’t expected this body to have. More than that, though, the loss of Loki’s shirt showed that his tattoos went beyond just his arms, spiraling up and around and over his shoulders, his chest, and twisting back in ways that had Sam wondering if they went over his back, too. It was a mouthwatering sight and Sam wanted nothing more than to go and trace each one of those marks with his tongue.

Loki let out a dirty chuckle. “Another time, Sam. I promise you that.” His hands smoothed over Sam’s thighs once more, up and then down, towards his knees. They twisted in a little until they could hook underneath his knees, and Sam had to fight hard to keep from blushing as Loki lifted his knees and pushed his legs further apart. It put Sam’s body completely on display for him in a way that would’ve been embarrassing if he hadn’t been able to read the pure enjoyment on Loki’s face. “Like I said, gorgeous.”

The rest of the world ceased to exist for Sam as Loki bent back down. It all narrowed down to the burn in his thighs and in his shoulders, the aching of his cock and the need in his stomach. His whole body was throbbing in that place between pleasure and pain. When he felt Loki’s breath right against the head of his cock, the sound Sam made was half whimper, half groan. “Loki – _please_.”

“Oh don’t you worry, Sammy. I’m not in the mood for patience tonight.” Loki murmured. Then, as if to prove that point, he opened his mouth and swallowed Sam straight down.

The cry Sam let out was probably capable of being heard rooms over. He didn’t care. The bonds holding him were the only thing that kept him from bucking up into the blazing hot heat of Loki’s wet mouth. As Loki hollowed his cheeks and sucked, lifting himself up and then sliding all the way back down, Sam threw his head back and _sobbed_. Loki’s name fell from his lips like a chant, a prayer, everything he wanted and needed all wrapped up into that single, begging word. He lost himself in the pleasure of Loki’s mouth, the clench of hands on his thighs, the ache of the marks all along his body, and it was perfect, it was too much, it wasn’t _near_ enough.

When Loki pulled his mouth free with an obscene _pop_ , the sob Sam let out wasn’t anywhere near as happy as his last one. Loki quieted it quickly by stretching his body out over Sam’s. “Shh, I got you, handsome.” Loki’s solid body stretched over his, lips going to the side of his neck once more, and Sam found that his hips were suddenly free to move. As soon as he realized it, he rolled them up, pushing them against Loki without any finesse. The trickster didn’t seem to mind. “That’s it, Sammy. That’s it. C’mon.” He chanted against Sam’s skin. One hand snaked between them to wrap around them both, and Sam let out a shout. He felt Loki’s breath puff against his neck, hot and moist, while the god started to rock his hips and fuck them both into his fist. “That’s it. Fuck, Sammy, so good. So good for me. C’mon, gorgeous, let go, let me have it. Now, Sam! Now, now, now…”

There was no way Sam could disobey that order. The heat that had been building inside of him finally exploded. Every muscle in his body locked tight while his hips thrust up over and over, riding out the waves of his orgasm as it crashed over him. He thought he might’ve screamed, though he didn’t know beyond the roaring in his ears.

When it was done, when his body had given everything it could, he slumped weakly back down to the bed. His arms were freed, though he kept them limp above him, and he looked up through heavy eyes at Loki, who was still moving above him. He was still fucking into his fist, rubbing against Sam’s oversensitive cock, and the whimpers Sam let free only seemed to spur him on. A low growl rumbled up Loki’s throat and he bent once more, his teeth sinking into the meaty part of Sam’s shoulder in a way that might’ve been more painful if Sam wasn’t still floating. He felt it all sort of absently, connected to it and yet not, watching as Loki jerked above him, riding his body’s pleasure, until finally he stilled.

For a few minutes the two of them just lay there, panting. Then Loki lifted a shaky hand and snapped. Sam wasn’t quite sure what he did, nor did he really care. He was quite content to curl in as Loki rolled them to the side and drew Sam in against him.

Loki settled Sam close to him, the two of them lying on their sides facing one another. Sam’s head was pillowed on Loki’s arm, and their noses were just inches apart. “Hey there, Sammy.” Loki smiled at him; a real smile, without any mockery or deviousness in it. “You with me, _älskling_?”

“Mmm.”

If he was bothered by Sam’s lack of response, he didn’t show it. Loki just chuckled and kissed the tip of Sam’s nose. “That’s fine. Get some sleep there, kiddo. You deserve it.”

There wasn’t much else that Sam could do. He closed his eyes, nuzzling against Loki’s arm, and sighed happily when the blankets were drawn over them. He let the floaty feeling carry him down towards sleep. Let whatever problems there were just wait. He’d focused on them tomorrow. Right then, he felt too good to do anything but sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I put up a sort of vote/request for help on Tumblr, and this was the general idea that won. So here it is, folks, the start of a story. It's probably going to be like my other ongoing story and will be on weekly updates. :) Feel free to come and talk with me about this or anything else over at my tumblr [HERE](http://thequeervet.tumblr.com)


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